


Soul for Sale

by musicalfreak22



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-13
Updated: 2016-03-26
Packaged: 2018-04-20 14:22:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 74,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4790543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musicalfreak22/pseuds/musicalfreak22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The night before the graduation ceremony, Bella's excited. No more Forks High School, no more Cullens...but it's all taken away from her. AU, canon pairings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Before, part 1

…2 years earlier…

BPOV

They all say tomorrow is another day. Yeah, the dates change, but the rest doesn’t. It’s always the same thing. Get up in the morning, make breakfast for Charlie and I, school, homework, dinner and sleep. Nothing extraordinary. 

Fortunately, the torture that was attending Forks High School was almost over. I would be graduating in about a month. Out of the 5 or 6 places I applied to for college, I decided to attend the University of Washington in Seattle. That way, I would be closer to Charlie if he ever needed me.

No more Mike Newton hitting on me and not getting the hint, no more Cullens… it’s not as if they had noticed me anyway. I’m pretty sure they don’t even know I exist. Edward and Alice Cullen. They arrived here from Alaska at the start of the school year, and they are the most popular people in school. With their looks and all, it’s not surprising. They only hang out with the beautiful and cool crowd, so there’s no way they’ve noticed plain old me. I mean, everytime there is work to do in teams, I end up alone.

The bell rang, announcing lunch. I got up from my seat in my English class and stopped by my locker before heading to the cafeteria. I sat down at an empty table after getting a slice of pizza in the lunch line. A few minutes later, Angela Webber came and sat down with me.

“Hi Bella” she said sweetly.

Really, she’s sweet. She’s the closest thing I have to a friend.

“Hey Angela.”

We sat there and ate lunch silently. That’s what I liked with Angela. She doesn’t push for conversation.

“So, have you decided where you’re going in the fall?” she asked me after a while.

“Yeah. I chose to go to UW. I’ll be closer to Charlie if he needs me.”

“Bella, you can’t always make your choices for the others. You have to think of yourself sometimes.”

“Angela, please. We’ve talked about this before. Even though I’ve been accepted in more prestigious schools, they weren’t offering a full scholarship, and there’s no way I can afford going there.”

“I’m sure your father would gladly help you out.”

“He barely makes enough to support us both. I can’t accept his money. UW gave me a full scholarship, so that’s where I’m going.”

With that, the end of lunch bell rang, so I swiftly got up and made my way to Biology. I like her, but she infuriated me sometimes. I don’t need to justify my choices to everyone.

“Hey Bella” Mike Newton said while coming towards me in the Biology classroom.

“Hi Mike.”

“So, how are you?”

“Fine.”

“Great.”

There was an awkward silence.

“So, are you free this weekend?”

You’re falling right into his trap, my mind sang to me. And I didn’t listen to it.

“Why?”

“Wanna go out with me? Dinner and a movie?”

And here we go again. The guy just doesn’t get the point.

“I’m sorry Mike, I’m busy this weekend. Maybe some other time.”

I really shouldn’t have said that…

“Great! I’ll talk to you later Bella.”

“You do that…” I said under my breath.

The remaining of the week went by pretty much the same way, although I did forgive Angela at some point. I mean, she’s the closest thing I have to a friend, I need to be nice to her.

A few weeks went by in pretty much the same fashion. Before I knew it we were done with finals. All that was left was graduation. I must admit I’m a bit nervous, but not because I’m about to get my high school diploma. No. You see, I’m clumsy. And not just a little. I mean, I manage to trip over thin air. So I’m mostly nervous because I don’t want to fall flat on my face when I go up on the stage to get my diploma. What a humiliation. Who is that clumsy anyway? I’m a real danger on legs. No wonder I was kicked out of ballet when I was 5.

As I make my way out of school and to my truck, I notice Edward and Alice Cullen, along with a few of their friends, hanging out around the Cullen’s Volvo and my truck, since it was parked beside their car.

“Great” I think.

I get into my truck without much trouble, but once I turn the key in the ignition and put it to reverse to back out of the space, no one moves. The few that were leaning against the bed just stayed there, continuing with their conversation with the Cullens. I didn’t want to move the truck, scared I would hurt someone, so I waited for them to notice the engine was running. I mean, it’s quite obvious it’s running. My truck isn’t exactly recent. After about 10 minutes, nobody had moved. They were all still talking. I leaned my head out of the window.

“Excuse me!” I said as loud as I could to cover the sound of the engine.

Nothing.

“Excuse me! I’d like to back out so I can leave!” I tried again.

Still nothing. I guess my backing-out-and-risk-hurting-someone plan would have to do. So I did just that. The people that were leaning against the bed pushed off when they felt it move, but it was as if nothing had happened. They didn’t even turn around to apologize for blocking the way. Jerks.

Anyway, it’s not like it matters anymore. As of tomorrow, I will be done with these people. I had heard Edward Cullen was going to Dartmouth for pre-med, and Alice was going to some fashion school in Seattle, so it’s not like I would see them.

When I got home, I started getting dinner ready after I dropped my stuff in my bedroom upstairs and checked my email. Charlie arrived some time later, just as I was putting the finishing touches before serving. When we sat down to eat, it was in silence. Although, after a moment, I could tell Charlie wanted to speak up, but couldn’t get the words out.

“Is everything alright, dad?” I asked.

“What? Yeah, everything’s fine, why?”

“I don’t know, it’s just…you seemed like you wanted to say something. That’s all.”

“Well…I do…want to say something.”

“What is it?”

“I’m just…worried about you.”

Okay, I really wasn’t expecting that.

“You know…you’re graduating tomorrow. I’m really proud of you, by the way.”

I smiled at him in thanks.

“You’re going off to college in a few months. You’re going to meet tons of new people. Roommate, classmates…boys…”

Ah, I see what this is about now.

“Dad, I can take care of myself.”

“I know that, Bells. It’s just…”

“No, listen to me. If you’re worried about, you know…sex…I’m not the kind to throw myself at just anyone…I’m still…oh geeze, this is embarrassing…I’m still a virgin, it’s not something I would give up to just anyone. I’ll call you to run a background check on the guy if I get to that point, if it makes you feel any better.”

That made him smile.

“Okay, okay. I got it.”

Silence fell again.

“Do you have any plans tomorrow after the ceremony?” he asked some time later.

“Not really. I’ll probably call Jake later to see if he has anything planned.”

“Ok, that’s good. But would you mind getting dinner with your old man? I was thinking we could go to Port Angeles, to that Italian place you like.”

“That would be nice, thanks dad.”

“You welcome. You can invite Jake, if you want.”

“Nah, that time is for us.”

“Alright.”

After that, we remained silent.

“You remember I’m pulling a double shift tonight, right?” he asked as he was making his way to the living room.

“Yeah, I remember.”

As I was putting away the last clean plate, someone knocked on the door.

“Were you expecting someone, Bells?” Charlie asked from the living room.

“No, you?”

“Not that I remember.”

“Strange,” I thought while I went to open the door.

You bet my surprise when I saw Jake standing there.

“Jake!”

I threw myself in his arms and hugged him.

“Hey Bells,” he said, hugging me back.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well, it’s the last night before your graduation, so I thought I would swing by.”

“I was just about to call you actually, come on in.”

I let him in and he went in the living room, so I followed.

“Hey Charlie.”

“Hey Jacob, how’s it going?”

“Great, thanks.”

“So Jake,” I started, “are you busy tomorrow night?”

“No, why?”

“Well, I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out, you know, to celebrate my graduation and all.”

“Sure! What would you like to do?”

“I don’t know. We could catch a movie or something? I’ll already be in Port Angeles for dinner with my dad, you could meet me there afterwards?”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

“Great.”

After that, we talked a bit more. He told me about this girl on the reservation he liked, Leah. I’m really happy for him, she seemed to like him back. Jake left a while later and I went up to my room to get ready for the night after I said good night to Charlie. He left a little while later for the station as I was lying in bed, reading.

Some time later, I don’t know how long, I was startled awake by a loud knock at the door. I looked at my alarm clock and saw it was almost midnight. Charlie has been known to forget his keys on occasion when he was pulling a night shift, so it wasn’t all that strange. I was saddened to have been woken up though, I was having a nice dream: I was graduating, wearing that god-awful yellow gown provided by the school. Then I was leaving for college, studying in my dorm on campus, writing essays and short stories for my different classes that I was enjoying.

The visitor knocked loudly again, almost impatiently. I guess I’d better get down there, I thought with a sigh. Charlie doesn’t have all night, after all. So I slowly made my way downstairs, careful not to trip on my own feet on the stairs. As I came to the door, I noticed two shadows on the other side of the door. A bad feeling came over me. Did something happen to Charlie? Just as the person was starting to knock again, I opened the door. It took a few seconds to my eyes to adjust to the darkness. When they did, I saw a man and a woman standing there, and they were definitely not from the police, there was no uniform in sight. Even if I was relieved nothing had happened to Charlie, the bad feeling I had didn’t go away, it even became worst.

“May I help you with anything?” I asked them. “Are you lost?”

The man chuckled lightly.

“No, we’re not lost. We’re just looking for someone.”

“Who is it? Maybe I can give you some directions.”

“Maybe, but we were told she was living on this street.”

“Oh.”

“Listen, it’s a bit cold out here, do you mind if we come in for a minute?”

“Um…okay.”

They came in and I got a better view of their faces. They don’t seem lost at all…

“Do you know where we could find Isabella Swan?”

Me? This was getting really strange…

“Why? What do you want from her?”

“Well, her mother would like to see her.”

What? My mother?

“Yes Isabella, your mother.”

Did I just think that out loud? The bad feeling definitely wasn’t going away. What are they doing here?

“What do you want from me?” I asked, stepping away from them.

They were scaring me.

“Is that any way to greet your mother, Isabella?” the man asked with a sinister smile.

And everything went black.


	2. Before, part 2

BPOV

I woke up to a searing pain on my forehead. 

What happened? 

I remember… a strange man and... a woman. And then... holy shit he hit me, and hard! He must have hit me more than once, because I somehow ended up with a cut on my forehead. Speaking of which… why is it hurting so much? 

I open my eyes and see a blonde girl sitting beside me, dabbing on my cut with some cotton and what I assume to be alcohol.

“Thank you,” I manage to croak out.

“You're welcome,” she says quietly.

I remain lying while she finishes cleaning the cut. I sit up while she walks away, doing my best to take in my surroundings. I notice I am sitting on a bed. The survey doesn’t take very long to do: the bed and a single chair in the corner are the only furniture in the room. The concrete walls are completely void of any decoration. 

Where the hell am I? 

And here I thought I was in the hospital and that the blonde girl was a nurse. 

What’s going on?

“It’s sad, isn’t it?” the blonde said from what I assume to be the doorway to the bathroom. There is some kind of faded purple shower curtain behind her.

“Where are we?” I asked her, scared of the answer.

“In a basement. The man that showed up at your house, that’s Phil Dwyer, ex-baseball superstar wannabe. He’s Renee’s husband.”

“Phil? My mother married… You’re kidding. I mean… I know, my mother Renee married a guy named Phil. Charlie said he was a minor league baseball player, but I don't know, it couldn't be… Wow,” I said after a moment of silence. “Do you know what happened to me?” I wanted to change the subject, I didn't want to believe that my mother had any hand in this. 

“Well, I wasn’t there, but judging from that cut on your forehead, I’d say you were taken against your will. Phil brought you in here earlier.”

“What time is it now?” I asked, not really certain if I wanted to know. I was certain that Charlie was equal part frantic and worried at this point. 

“It’s middle of the afternoon now.” She tried to give me a comforting smile but my mind only registered the shock I felt at hearing how long I had been gone from home. I knew without a doubt that Charlie was far past the frantic and worried I assumed seconds ago. 

Tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn’t believe this. I was abducted the night before graduation. The ceremony must be underway right now. Charlie must be there, looking for me, and worried sick when I didn't walk across the stage when my name was called. I was supposed to meet him after so we could go have dinner in Port Angeles… and what about Jacob? We had plans too. All of that, all my dreams had just been ripped away from me. And I don’t even know why!

I must have been crying hard because the blonde girl was now holding me to her, trying to comfort me. When I finally managed to calm down somewhat, she let me go, but she started rubbing my back comfortingly.

“Is there any way out of here?” I asked with a sob. I refused to believe I was stuck here.

“Not really. I’m Rosalie, by the way,” she replied, offering me her hand.

I took her hand.

“I’m Isabella, but please call me Bella.”

“Well Bella, looks like it’s you and me. Lord knows we will need each other to depend on since we can’t trust anyone else.”

Now that got me curious and a little frightened. 

“Why do you say that?”

Rosalie swallowed thickly, but didn’t answer.

“Rosalie, what’s going on?” I pleaded.

She sighed.

“Bella… Phil… he didn’t kidnap you just for the fun of kidnapping. I don’t know all the details, but I heard Renee tell him about this daughter of hers that she left behind with her father years ago, and how said daughter had kind of put a stop to all her dreams and stuff. So Phil, to prove his love to her or something, decided to put a stop to her daughter’s dreams to make her pay. It took them a little while, but they, or rather he, found her… you. Then he went to get you.”

That did answer a part of the question.

“Ok… but… are they just going to leave me here?”

Rosalie shook her head no almost reluctantly.

“Then what?” I asked urgently.

She sighed again.

“Phil owns a club… a strip club.”

She didn’t need to say more. Not only did he want to put a stop to my dreams, he wanted to humiliate me. Tears came again.

“Bella,” Rosalie called. “Bella, look at me.”

I looked up at her through my tears.

“Bella, we have each other, okay? We’ll be our support system. We’ll find a way out of this.”

I nodded, sniffing.

“Rosalie, how long have you been here?” I asked not sure I wanted to know.

She didn’t answer right away.

“It’s been almost a year now,” she replied quietly.

I gasped.

“What happened?”

She took a deep breath and told me her story.

“I met this guy, Royce King, when I was a junior in high school. He told me that I could become an international model; all I had to do was trust him. Enticed by him, I gave him my unconditional trust. He gave me everything: money, a car, and auditions with well renowned designers, love… or so I thought. One night, tired of me always rejecting him, he raped me.”

She sniffed, but refused to let her tears fall.

“He threatened to harm my family if I didn’t do as he said. He tried to get me to work in strip clubs close to home on the east coast, but I always found a way to get rejected. So Royce moved us to the west coast. He met Phil in Portland playing poker one night. Royce was quite drunk and he put me up as his bet, since he was out of money. Phil won the hand.”

Wh-what?

“Royce didn’t give up. He was at the club every night, keeping an eye not only on me, but also on Phil. Royce felt like nobody had the right touch me but him. Phil knew that too, and since he didn’t want any problems, he had never laid a hand on me. Royce was just waiting for the right moment to take me back.” 

This time, she let a few tears fall and I hugged her.

“I don’t want to go back, Bella. I can’t go back. Royce treated me even worse than Phil. Royce raped me…multiple times, where Phil never really laid a hand on me. I know it’s probably because of Royce, but… I can’t go back.”

At the end of her story, Rosalie was crying softly. I took one of her hands, trying to be supportive. At least, I wasn’t alone in this.

“I’ll do everything to protect you, Bella,” my new friend told me honestly.

“Thanks Rose.”

I looked up at her fearing my slip up of her name. 

“It’s okay,” she assured me. “I like it.”

We smiled at each other. 

Sometime later, I could hear a lock being pulled and a door opening.

“That’s Phil,” Rosalie whispered.

“Rosalie!” Phil shouted from the top of the stairs.

“That’s my cue,” Rosalie said. “I have to go. You’re safe for tonight, he won’t bring you before your cut is completely healed.”

I sighed in relief.

“Rosalie! You know what happens when you make me wait!” Phil yelled. 

She shivered in horror.

“I’ll tell you more later, I really have to go. I’ll see you later Bella.”

I waved goodbye to my new best friend as she ascended the stairs. At least I would be safe for about a week or so...or maybe I could try to infect it, that would force Phil and Renee to take me to the hospital, and while I am waiting in an exam room I could try to escape… I found a problem in my plan already; I don’t even know which city I am in. For all I know, I could be as far away as Los Angeles, and I couldn’t exactly take a cab home.

A week and a half later…

I had been left alone for the past week and a half, with the exception of Rose. Rose brought in our food and water, she even smuggled in a book for me to read, Romeo and Juliet. She said it was for when she went to the club at night. 

She had just left and I started to settle into another night alone, when the door swung open and someone came down the stairs. I backed towards the corner, and stayed silent. I recognized who it was immediately; it was my kidnapper, Phil. I shivered involuntary, and tried desperately to back myself into the wall.

"Come here," Phil said firmly as he stopped in the middle of the room. 

I didn't dare move. 

"When I tell you to do something, you do it," Phil said raising his voice. "Now come here!"

I was too frightened to move, but my survival instinct must have kicked in because I was moving towards him against my will. My head was lowered submissively and his groan told me he was pleased by that.

"Well done Isabella," Crack. Phil slapped me across the face, hard, and I cried out. "Next time when I ask you to do something you do it, understand?"

"Y-yes," I choked out, my head still lowered, looking at the floor. 

"Follow me," Phil said as he made his way over to the bathroom. "I want you to strip down and clean yourself thoroughly, I'll leave you to do this yourself, but if I find one piece of dirt on you, then I'll be joining you next time to make sure you don't miss anything.” His sick smile told me exactly how much he wanted me to mess up and need his help. I shuttered at the thought. “Hurry up, you've got ten minutes," he sneered. 

I sighed in relief as Phil left me alone in the bathroom to clean myself. I don't think I would have been able to handle him there with me. My hands still shook considerably even though I was alone and not under Phil’s prying eyes as I would have to undress. 

"Oh and don't put those dirty clothes back on," Phil yelled from the top of the stairs. "I'll get you something and set it out on the bed for you."

I waited until Phil had left and closed the door behind him, before I quickly got undressed and took the quickest but cleanest shower of my life. Something told me that I did not want to get on Phil's bad side, nor disobey his orders. I was out in record time and glanced into the room to make sure Phil wasn't there. When I noticed that he wasn't I ran to the bed to quickly put on my outfit. I stopped short when I noticed that it was a fancy set of panties and a really short lacy nightgown, all made from silk in light blue. I quickly threw it on. I didn't want Phil coming down here with me still naked, and if I put on my old clothes then I would just get dirty and I couldn't have that. 

Not long later Phil came back down the stairs. He made his way over to me, looking at me appreciatively, but never said a word. I felt sick to know that he was seeing me dressed this way. To know that anyone would see me dressed this way! He just grabbed me by the arm and dragged me up the stairs. It was light inside, but dark out. I desperately looked out every window trying to find something that would tell me where I was. The city lights were shining brightly but I couldn't recognize anything. 

Phil pulled me into another room, and locked the door behind him. I immediately feared the worst and backed away from him slowly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to... violate you, not until you're properly trained and know how to please me at least." Phil said trying to be soothing, but completely failing.

I instantly felt relieved, or as relieved as I could be, at least for now I would be safe.

Phil walked over to the side of the room and turned on a CD player. A soft but sensual song started playing. "Now dance," I shook my head no. "Do I have to ask you twice?" Phil warned me.

I shook my head no and started dancing. I was bad, really bad. So bad that at one stage Phil stopped the music, and pulled me up from the floor. I couldn't help that I had two left feet and every time I crossed them I ended ass up on the floor. 

"This is going to be harder than I thought," Phil muttered as he stood me back on my feet. "Keep practicing I'll be right back."

I nodded, but as soon as he left the room I pulled the curtains back and looked out the window, surely I'd see something recognizable, and I did. I nearly cried at the sight, in the distance I could see the Seattle Space Needle. I was in Seattle, only a four hour bus trip away from Charlie. My mind kept screaming that he'd find me, he wouldn't give up. I heard the handle rattle and I quickly closed the curtain and hurried back to the center of the room and began dancing.

"Help her," Is all Phil said as he shoved Rose into the room with me. "She needs to dance perfectly before morning," Phil threatened Rose as he shut the door on us and locked it. 

I immediately ran into Rose's arms and began crying. 

"It's okay," Rose tried to soothe me. "I'll help you learn."

"But you won't, I can't," I mumbled incoherently. "I can't dance Rose."

"Ssshhh! Bella," Rose said pulling away from me and wiping my tears. "Now I'll show you how it's done, and I won't stop helping you until you've got it, okay? We're in this together Bella."

"Okay," I replied softly as I pulled out of Rose's embrace. "Thanks Rose."


	3. Isabella Marie Swan

BPOV

I wouldn’t even wish this on my worst enemy. I am basically selling my body, my soul, to dozens, even hundreds of pervy eyes. But they’re not even the worst. The worst, is his eyes. I can feel his eyes on me while I’m on stage. I always know he’s there, but I can never find him in the crowd. 

My name is Isabella Marie Swan, Bella to my friends and family. Marie to the customers at Twilight strip club. I have been stuck here for two years now in order to protect my father, yes two years! Sweet, virginal Marie. I was kidnapped two years ago, apparently to pay for ruining my mother Renee's life, according to Phil that is. 

I can feel the tears coming up as I am putting on the final touches of my make-up, right before I go on stage. 

I need to hold them down, this won’t do me any good. 

I have to keep reminding myself that I’m doing this to protect my father.

I put on my black corset, plaid mini skirt and high heeled chucks. Last and not least, a long pearl necklace. My hair is in piggy tails. I hated the stupid school girl costume. How many pervy guys are out there that this really is a turn on to them? Well at least it’s less cliché than that bitch Tanya. She dressed as a nurse. Hello, originality? 

I make my way out of the changing room to the backstage area and I wait for Tanya to finish her routine. As she comes off stage, she 'accidentally' bumps my shoulder on her way past, I’m used to it by now. She’s hated me ever since I stepped foot in here. Well...she does have a good reason: she was the favourite…up until I arrived and started.

It’s not that I like being the favourite, believe me. But it just makes me feel good sometimes that there’s something I have that Tanya doesn’t. I mean, she’s tall, blonde, killer curves, killer legs… and me? I’m just plain old Bella. Brown eyes, brown hair, barely 5’4. I’m too skinny because of the lack of a decent meal in the last two years.

It’s a good thing I have Rose with me. If it weren’t for her, I would have gone insane long ago. She keeps telling me that we’ll find a way to get out of here. Yeah, I wish…it’s been two years, three for her, and every attempt we made to escape has failed. James, the club’s bouncer and Phil’s right hand man, would always know that we had tried to escape. It was like a sixth sense with him.

I can hear the crowd cheering loudly on the other side of the curtain.

“Gentlemen”, I heard Laurent, the host, say. “Please welcome Marie.”

The crowd explodes in cheers as I step through the curtain and make my way towards the pole. A few seconds later, Like a Virgin starts and I begin my routine. I am no longer Bella. I am Marie, the virgin school girl, main character in many men’s fantasies.

On some nights the transition is an easy one to make from Bella to Marie. Other nights it is like I’m slowly dying inside and one day there won’t be a Bella anymore, only Marie. That is the day I truly fear. I keep telling myself one day we will figure out a way to get out of here. Phil and even sixth sense James will make a mistake and we will be free. I hope and pray everyday for this to be that day. 

When I’m done, I make my way off stage without a backward glance and run to the changing room, smiling softly at Rose on my way.

While she does her thing, I pull on my black tulle corset, panties and stockings. Retouching my make-up, I then put on those death traps they call shoes and make my way back to the curtain. All the other strippers are there, in their 'private room' get up. Jessica in pink, Tanya in purple, and Irina (scoff) in her snakeskin set. Only Rose was missing, as she had just came offstage. She scrambled to her changing room, coming out a minute later in her raspberry red set. Laurent went back on stage and introduced us one by one, me being the last. And the auction started.

We were to offer a private dance to each lucky customer that paid the best. I was sold for a thousand dollars once. Even though the money is slipped either in my corset or my panties, none of that money is mine. Nope, all money went to Phil. However… I do manage to slip a few bills in my secret stash sometimes. I must have a few hundred dollars by now. That’s the money I’m saving up to pay for whatever I’ll need when I finally manage to escape.

The night was finally over, this thankfully was one of those nights that flew by. No unruly customers, no one grabbing, pinching or asking for disgusting things tonight. Thankfully. Those were the nights I hated the most, the nights when those things happened. That was when it was hardest to remember that I was still Bella and not really Marie. 

I got changed quickly into my clothes, though rags would be the more appropriate title. I made my way out into the hallway and waited for Rose. She always joined me quickly, Rose knows that I don't like to be left alone for long. We locked arms as we waited by the back door patiently. Neither of us said a word, we never speak unless we are alone. After about half an hour Phil opened the back door and escorted us to the car. We get in willingly and stay silent the whole trip back. We both know this is the only way to escape Phil’s anger and punishment. 

It was the same routine every day, so it made it hard for Rose and I to escape, but we tried anyway. The trip from the club to Phil's basement was quick, and soon we were escorted out of the car and straight to the basement. Phil left us straight away. I sat down on the single bed, just thankful to be off my feet. I felt the bed sag with Rose’s weight as she sat down next to me. We both waited for Phil to return. He always returned, if business was good we got supplies to shower, but if business was bad then... I try not to think about those times. 

Phil came bounding down the stairs and I flinched, fearing the worst. Rose put her arm around me, but I only relaxed when I saw that Phil was carrying towels, soap, and shampoo. And if Phil had someone coming to the club he wanted to impress then we got conditioner as well, but only then. Phil smiled at us. It always came out as more of a grimace, but we knew from experience that it was his happy smile. 

“You did good tonight girls,” he said on his way to the bathroom. He put all the supplies on the bathroom floor and began to exit. "You have ten minutes, then I'm shutting the water off."

Phil quickly exited and Rose and I jumped up at once. We never get to have the water on for this long so we both wanted to make the most of it. We realized that in our rush we both were heading to the showers at the same time. When our eyes met, Rose sat back down on the bed.

"You go first Bella," Rose said with sympathy. 

"No, you go," I told her. "I've got to stash my money anyway."

"Right, okay," Rose accepted standing back up. "Here," Rose said as she pulled out two fifty dollar bills that were tucked firmly in her bra and handed them to me. 

Rose knew I tried to save as many bills as I could, no matter how small they were. She knew it was for my escape and she knew that I wouldn't leave without her. This, however, was the first time that she's ever given me any money to stash along with mine. Two fifties, wow! If we both kept stashing money we would have enough so much faster. 

I didn’t want Rose to think that I only wanted her for the help she provided to me. So I tried to hand her the money back. "Rose I can't," She needed to know that she was my entire life at this point, the only thing keeping me moving and she meant so much more than some cash that we hid from Phil. 

"Yes, you can," Rose said not accepting the money back. "It's for our escape Bella, tonight was a very good night, please just take it, put it with the rest, please."

"Okay," I accepted. "But now it's our money, both of ours, if you need it then you take it."

"Sure," Rose replied not wanting to argue with me. "I better get in the shower before Phil turns it off, I'll be quick."

"Yeah." I replied as reality sunk in again. Our reality. We lived like prisoners, much worse in fact. At least the prisoners had done some act to deserve the punishment they faced. We were completely innocent, that was until Phil got his hands on us. 

I grabbed my money out of my bra and quickly counted it, $48. Tonight was certainly a good night with my money and Rose’s combined. I had never put away that much money in one night. I rolled the money up and quickly scrambled under the bed. I loosened the brick and carefully put the money in there. 

"Your turn," Rose said and I pulled myself out from under the bed, she was only wrapped in a towel, she must have been quick.

I hurried to the shower. We only got a shower when Phil felt like it. He provided the water and everything else. Sometimes we would go a week without a shower, so we had to learn how to hide our greasy hair for the club. Most times we could wash up in the club bathroom without Phil knowing, so we never went on stage smelling bad. I’m sure that is not a big tip draw when you smell like a garbage truck. I turned on the water and jumped under the spray, expecting cold water as usual, but it was warm. And as much as I hated the customers that came to the club every night, tonight I thanked them for making sure that Rose and I had a hot shower. 

I had just finished rinsing my hair when the water ran out. I grabbed a towel and dried off, making my way back out to Rose. I had been ashamed at first to show any large amount of skin in front of Rose, but now I was used to it. She always made me feel comfortable by looking away, or just looking at my face if we were talking. I got dressed quickly in a nightgown that Phil had provided for us. I liked putting on my nightgown, probably because it was usually the only clean thing I had. I suspect Renee cleaned them whilst we were working at the club, but I've never actually seen her, so I really don’t know. My heart began to break at the thought of a mother allowing her child to live like this, even if her child had ruined her dreams. I just couldn’t imagine ever wanting to make my child suffer like this. 

"How much do you have?" Rose asked me out of the blue as I gathered our towels and shower supplies and stood in front of her. She must have seen the sadness creeping over me and was trying to talk about anything at all that could bring me happiness. 

"Well with the $148 we got tonight," I said quickly calculating it in my head. "I'd have to say somewhere between $400 and $500 dollars, more if we're lucky."

"Good, good," Rose said quietly. 

I did a quick check of the bathroom to make sure I missed nothing, then ran everything up the stairs and sat them at the door. Phil grabs them at any time and if they're not sitting there then he comes downstairs to search, we are in for some severe punishment from him. I made my way back down the stairs and sat down on the bed next to Rose, who looked deep in thought. 

"What are you thinking about Rosie?" I asked her as I rested my head against her shoulder.

"Nothing," Rose replied.

"Is it Royce?" I asked her carefully. "I haven't seen him in the club for a few months now."

"No, not Royce, though I do wonder if Phil had him killed or something, it's not like him to leave me alone and unprotected, I don't know," Rose replied. "I'm kind of glad he's not around. I kind of feel free, I know it probably sounds stupid considering where I am right now, but without him there, watching me, I finally feel free."

"I could imagine," I said as I imagined if Phil had suddenly disappeared. It would be so much easier to work if he wasn't there watching me. 

"I think we should try and escape," Rose said suddenly after a long silence.

"Really?" I asked her shocked. It was always my idea to escape and Rose only tagged along because she didn't want to leave me. But this was a big thing, Rose never wanted to escape, she always tried to talk me out of it.

"Yes, Bella," Rose said determinedly. "We have to try."

"But we've tried everything," I replied hugging her to me. I knew that there was no way to escape, I had tried every possible way I could think of. At this point in time I was afraid to let my mind hope for the freedom that might one day lay outside this house for us. Because if my life carried on day after day and it never happened, well that is a heartbreak I don’t think I could get over. 

"Not everything, there are sacrifices in every war Bella, my cousin taught me that," Rose explained.

"Sacrifices? What are you talking about?" I asked her confused.

"I'll sacrifice myself, I'll create a diversion and you can run, I'll help you escape Bella."

"What? No, I’m not leaving without you Rose!" I was crying now, how could she even entertain this idea.

"It's our only chance Bella." Her sad, resigned eyes told me that this really might be the only way out for either of us. 

"I refuse to believe that, there will be another way." Perhaps I was naive, but who the hell cared. I needed Rose to help provide that small amount of sanity that I held onto each day and I couldn’t make it without her. 

"We've been here for two years Bella, nothing changes, we have to make the change, I have to make the change," Rose was determined.

"No, no, no," I was breaking down. How could Rose do this? We both needed to escape. What if something happened and I was left here by myself... she is the only one keeping me together and keeping me from losing my mind. Without her... I just didn't want to think about it. I cried harder.

"Ssshhh Bella," Rose tried to comfort me.

"No," I wailed. "Not until you tell me you won't do anything stupid. I don't want to be left here alone Rose, I can't do this alone. We're better together, not apart." I begged for her to understand that we had to be together. 

"Okay, okay, I'll stay," Rose whispered. "Just calm down Bella, I won't leave your side, I'm sorry, just calm down we don't want Phil down here."

That immediately sobered me up and the tears stopped at once. It took me a few minutes to collect myself but when I did, I asked her the only question in my mind. 

"How could you even think that?" Disbelief and shock were dripping from every word. 

"I had to say it," Rose said lowering her head. "It's hard for me to trust Bella, you know that, and I do trust you. I guess a part of me wanted you to escape, for you to lead the life you should be leading, and the other part of me wanted to test your loyalty... I don't know, blame my dorky cousin." She seemed full of sorrow that we had to push each other this way, in a normal life we could be friends and never have to test a loyalty bond to this extent. Once again my heart cracked open a little further that we weren’t normal in any way right now. 

"Your cousin?" I questioned her confused, also trying to divert my mind from going down a road that would lead to more tears and heartbreak. "You've never mentioned a cousin before today."

"Lay down with me and I'll tell you about him," Rose said as she laid down and pulled me with her. 

We always tried to stay up late, just talking or playing simple games like I Spy. We use to sleep as much as we could, but it felt as though we were wasting our lives, and just living by Phil's rules. This way, with our talks, it was like we had some control over the way we lived. A time where we could be happy, a time where we could pretend we were somewhere else. We relished this time most. 

Rose was about to begin when the door opened, I stiffened immediately, but as soon as it opened, it closed, and locked. Must have been Phil grabbing the towels and supplies. I relaxed as soon and the lock clicked, even though we were essentially trapped now, I never felt safer. Phil couldn't get to us in a locked room, and when he did come, we always heard him.

"So your dorky cousin?" I prompted Rose as I cuddled up to her.

"Yeah, he's my age, but his family lives in Texas, so we only ever got to see each other over the holidays," I looked over and Rose was smiling, it was very hard to get Rose to smile. "He was a dork, always into war books and marine life, I know the two don't even go hand in hand but that was just Jazz. Anyway I was always up myself, well I didn't think that back then of course, but I would ignore him. I spent all my time practicing my modeling poses and all that. He'd try to get my attention all the time, giving me facts about the civil war and sharks." Her eyes had a far off look to them that told me she was back in Texas at some holiday gathering wishing that she had just paid a little more attention to what she had back then. 

"He sounds sweet," I replied. "And you were so mean to him."

"I was a fourteen year old girl when I saw him last, and he was a lanky annoying fourteen year old boy. We clashed, but we loved each other too. I don't know how to explain it really. He'd annoy me, I'd ignore him, but when it was time to leave we'd always hug goodbye." I couldn’t take Rose’s sadness, she was the one in charge of keeping us upbeat, so when she got sad the only thing I knew to do was divert her attention. 

"So he's the one that taught you those military things you were saying earlier?" I questioned, trying to prolong the conversation. Rose seemed happier when she talked about her family, and I didn't want to go to sleep yet.

"Yeah, he always wanted me to play army with him, he didn’t like it when I tried to put makeup on him on more than one occasion," Rose laughed.

"I can see why he wouldn’t" I laughed along with her. 

"But the best thing about him was that he just got me, and I got him," Rose explained. "I don't know if it's some weird cousin thing, but we just knew when to leave each other alone and when to be there for each other. I have no doubt that if we grew up in the same state then we would be inseparable, but-" Rose stopped suddenly staring off into the distance. 

"He sounds like a good cousin," I said trying to end the subject. "Let's go to sleep." 

We both got under the covers, and I closed my eyes. It was the end of another day, and as soon as I opened my eyes the whole routine would start again. I set free all the tears I had refrained earlier. Used to it, Rose hugged me until I was done. I was tired of this. Yes, I was doing this to protect my father, but he must be somewhere, looking for me. There must be someone looking for me, but at least, in the meantime, I had Rose... we had each other.


	4. Charlie Swan

It’s been two years. Two long, stressful years searching for my daughter. And nothing. There were some sightings around Washington State, but all those leads led me to nothing. But I know she's alive, I can sense it... she just has to be alive.

I will never forget that day. It was her graduation; I rushed to the ceremony as I was running late from work. I didn't even have time to go by the house and change out of my uniform and into something nicer, but I knew Bella wouldn't care. I looked for her when I got there but everyone was already seated, so after a quick survey I took a seat. The ceremony seemed to go on forever. I knew I wasn't far off seeing Bella when the valedictorian made his speech. It was the Cullen kid, Edward, he did well, but I really wanted to see my Bella walk across that stage. I was relieved when they handed out the diplomas, I had a quick thought that if Bella had taken Renee's last name then she would have been across already, but I was glad she had my last name. They called out Swan and I immediately stood up and clapped, my Bella was finally graduating and I couldn't be any more proud. They repeated her name again and I stopped clapping, where was she, she wouldn't miss this for anything. That’s when I began to panic. I started looking around for her, and it seemed everyone else was too. Poor Bella she is so clumsy, she could have broken her leg on her way to the line, you never know. After seeing her nowhere I flew from the ceremony without looking back. I had to get home.

When I got there, the door was unlocked. A bad feeling overtook me, Bella always locked the door. You make changes like that when you live in a big city like Phoenix for most of your life. As I made my way inside, I could see a lamp that had been knocked down, a few frames that had fallen from their place on the wall. I called her name, but didn’t get any response. I went to her room, but she wasn't there, nor was she in the bathroom. She didn’t run away, her truck was still in the driveway and nothing appeared to be missing from her room.

I sat down for a while, trying to calm down, trying to get in 'cop mode', but the father in me won out and panic took over. I called the station to see if anyone had reported anything, loud noises, domestic disturbances, anything, but there was nothing. I dialled the hospital and checked there, but no one had even been admitted in the past 24 hours. I tried to recall any of Bella's friends and could only come up with one, that Weber girl. I ran up to Bella's room and searched for the girl’s phone number, surely Bella had it written down somewhere. I felt bad for searching through Bella's things but I didn't have any other option. I finally found the number in Bella's organizer and called it straight away. Angela hadn't seen Bella since the previous day at school and was just as worried as I was. Bella didn’t have many friends here, so I couldn’t come up with anyone else except Jacob, but I didn't want to call him because if she wasn't with him then something was seriously wrong. I tried her mother, but all I got was a message that the number had been disconnected, which I thought was strange. 

I couldn't hold out any longer, I had to call the Black's. Jacob was her best friend surely he would know something, anything. I talked to Jacob but all that brought about was more worry, no one on the reservation had seen Bella. But Billy assured me he would be over with Jacob and Harry soon to set up a search of the woods.

Finally switching to cop mode, I drove around town, trying to see if she was stuck anywhere. Although, that option seemed unlikely since her truck was still at home and she never went anywhere without it.  
After my drive around town, I went to the station and filed a report. The guys sent alerts to the Port Angeles and Seattle police departments, it was a start. Since there was nothing more we could do for now, I went back home. Billy, Jacob and Harry were already there waiting for me.

That night, we printed out thousands of posters to hang around town, and even Port Angeles. The news would spread in no time; small towns were good for that. Harry even co-ordinated a search of the forest, he wanted to start straight away with some boys from the reservation but I made him hold off until morning, I was pretty sure Bella wouldn't go into the woods alone and there did appear to be a struggle in the house, but if she did... well they would find her tomorrow and I could stop worrying. 

All that was left to do after that was to wait. It was the same speech I gave any other family that was in the same situation that I was in. I would never give that speech with such a cavalier attitude anymore. Not after hearing it myself. A week later, there was no sign of Bella in Forks, someone called and said they saw her in Port Angeles. I sped there, breaking all kinds of laws, but when I got there, there was no sign of her. All in all, there were calls from Port Angeles, Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia and Portland. Every lead I tracked ended up a dead end. There was no sign of her, either Bella had moved on quickly or she was never there in the first place. It was almost as if they knew I was coming.

As predicted, the news spread like wildfire around town after we put up the posters. Everyone would tell me that I would find her, and not to worry. They would all let me know if they heard anything. Some had family in other parts of Washington and in Oregon; and they said that they would call and alert them. It was nice, but it still hasn’t brought back my baby girl.

I didn’t even know who she was with, although some reports said that she had been seen with a man in his mid-thirties and a blonde girl around her age. One report said that the man was forcing both girls into the back of a car, so I hoped that it was Bella and that she wasn't alone. It was oddly comforting knowing that she wasn't alone, but I knew that wasn't necessarily a good thing. 

As for Renee, I tried numerous times to reach her, but I was always met with a dead end. So I started getting suspicious, why wouldn't she answer her phone, she didn't even know that her daughter was missing. It's not like I suspected her of kidnapping Bella, but I had heard that she had married an minor league baseball player who was said to be in some obscure business, but it was never confirmed.

One night, I was over on the reservation having dinner with the Blacks and the Clearwaters. I must admit I was having fun, they were all great people. But at some point, someone mentioned something about a girl that was recently kidnapped in Seattle. I had to excuse myself and step outside for a minute, even though it was pouring down rain. As I was making my way back inside, I heard someone yelling, very panicked, so I ran. Harry was on the floor, clutching at his chest, clearly in pain. I yelled at Jacob to call 911. A few hours later, Dr. Cullen announced to Harry’s wife Sue and me that Harry had not survived. Poor Sue was devastated. As I was about to leave with her to get her home, Dr. Cullen told me that if I needed anything at all to call him.

Sometime after Harry’s funeral, I was alone at home, just watching tv, and I lost it. I couldn’t take it anymore. My only daughter had been kidnapped and I hadn’t heard anything in months, and one of my best friends was dead. I needed to get out of the house, it was too much. Being the chief of police, people were expecting me to always be calm and collected. I could be calm and collected…when the situation didn’t involve a member of my family or a friend.

Remembering Dr. Cullen’s words, I called him. He said he would be over soon. That’s where my friendship with Carlisle and Esme began. They would invite me over to their house for dinner a few times a week, wanting to help me keep my head above the water, and it did help. I even met their children, Edward and Alice, when they came home from school on break. Alice was attending some fashion school in Seattle, and Edward was pre-med at Dartmouth on the east coast. Though he was thinking of moving back west, what with Esme’s heart condition and all. They were nice kids, very well mannered, and Alice had even become a good friend to me. 

Every time I would see her, Alice would always ask me questions about Bella, and if I had heard anything. She looked just as disappointed as I was sometimes. She seemed to have made Bella her friend before she even met her. Her boyfriend Jasper, who came with her to Forks from time to time, would always be there to comfort her, and me. It turned out that Jasper's cousin had gone missing too, from the East coast a year or so ago. Though his family wasn't sure if she had been taken against her will, or if she had just ran away with her boyfriend, either way we connected through our losses. 

On the day of the anniversary of Bella’s disappearance, the Cullens didn’t leave me alone for one second, which I appreciated. Edward announced around dinner that his transfer to the University of Washington in Seattle had been confirmed, so we all celebrated that news. Carlisle offered to go and help him pack his stuff and move it back here. I offered too, saying it would be a nice distraction. Deep down inside I knew that I was missing out on the whole college experience as a parent seeing as Bella had disappeared right before. Edward accepted gratefully.

Esme was a great help as well. Her home cooked meals were comforting. As much as I liked the diner, I missed Bella’s cooking. And Esme picked up on that after I told her how Bella was cooking pretty much every meal when she was there.

After Edward’s move back, time flew by. Thanksgiving came and went, and before I knew it, it was my second Christmas without my daughter. Good friends that they are, the Cullens invited me over for both Christmas Eve and Christmas day. They even insisted I sleep over. I accepted, because I wasn’t sure how I would handle sleeping alone in my house for that holiday again. I hadn’t given up hope; Bella’s presents for both Christmases were under the tree along with everyone else’s. Even the Cullens got her all a little something. I couldn’t help but let a tear slip out when I saw that.

“She will come back Charlie,” little Alice told me with a hug, and she seemed very confident.

I hugged her back, thankful for her, but not knowing what else to say.

The months seemed to drift by without my participation in them. Without Bella it was hard to force myself to enjoy anything, the closest I came was when I was with the Cullens and on the reservation with my friends there. But every time Bella’s memory would creep in and make it hard to fully enjoy myself. 

All in all, I had a great support system, but I wanted my daughter back. I thought it would be years yet before anything happened. Turns out, I was wrong.


	5. Edward Anthony Cullen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for not commenting before now... I am still learning the ropes of this site. Thank you to all that reviewed and kudo'ed, it is very much appreciated, it means I must do something right :o)
> 
> It took me 5 years to write this story, I'm pretty proud of it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

I officially hate Emmett McCarty. I swear this is the last time he does this to me. Even Jasper was into it. If they weren’t my best friends, I would kill them.

If it had been in a simple club, I wouldn’t have said anything; I would just get through the night and try to enjoy it. But a strip club? Come on. Emmett is the one that enjoys that kind of thing, not me.

Why didn’t he go for his birthday? 

I think I should have a say as to what we do for my birthday. And to top it all off, Mike Newton and Tyler Crowley are coming with us. 

Emmett and his big mouth.

I’m just going to have to survive through the night. 

I should get drunk. That way, I won’t remember tomorrow. Less painful.

I mean come on, who in their right mind celebrates a birthday in a strip club? I must be insane, because even my sister let Jasper go. And god knows she had something planned for our birthday.

Alice is my twin sister, so we share the same birthday. And she’s my best friend Jasper’s girlfriend, so it was a big deal that she allowed Jasper to go out not only to a strip club, but on her birthday as well!  
Alice and I shared genes, but that was pretty much the only thing we share, really. I’m over 6 foot tall, and she’s barely 5 foot on a good day. My hair is this weird bronze color that I got from my mom; hers is almost black. I really have no idea where that comes from since our father is blond. Where I’m mostly calm and keep to myself, she’s this perky, exuberant and a bit overexcited pixie thing. We couldn’t be more opposites. As much as I love her, she can be really annoying sometimes… like right now, because she allowed Jasper to go to a strip club. 

Don’t get me wrong, she’s not a total control freak, but Jasper would do just about anything for her, and if it meant not going to a strip club, he would do it. I mean, I was pretty sure she’d say no, fraternal support or something like that, but no! She had to agree! Is the universe against me or what?

“Hey bro, stop brooding back there! It’s gonna be fun, you’ll see!” Emmett exclaimed from the front seat of his jeep, in which we were currently driving towards the club.

“Why didn’t you go for your own birthday, jackass?” I replied.

“Oh, I did go, you just weren’t in Seattle yet,” he replied with a cheeky grin.

I groaned.

“Come on, man! Every man has to go to a strip club at least once in his life beside his bachelor’s party! Tonight is your night, Eddie! I’ll make sure of it! I heard they had the hottest girls on all of the west coast there, that’s got to be something!” Emmett’s enthusiasm had almost rubbed off on me until he went and called me Eddie. 

“How many times did I tell you to not call me Eddie?” I said, annoyed.

“Thousands of times already, but I like to call you Eddie, Eddie.” He flashed me a big ass smile in the rear view mirror and flexed his arms, as if to remind me that no attempt I made against him would be successful so why even bother. I moved on to Jasper, I stood a better chance against him anyway. “And you Jasper, how did you manage to get Alice to agree to this? On her birthday as well for crying out loud. Didn’t she want to be with you on her birthday?” 

Jasper’s sweet southern charm I had seen him pour on for the ladies came out, “I didn’t do anything, she agreed right away.” He said with a slight shrug. 

Yeah, right. I remained silent for the rest of the ride. I knew nothing would make them change their mind. When we got to the club, we saw that Newton and Crowley were already there, waiting in line. They waved us over when they saw us, soon it was our turn to go in. 

What I saw inside wasn’t what I was expecting at all. What was I expecting? I don’t know…but definitely not something so richly decorated. My mood lifted up a little. At least it wasn’t some seedy hole in the wall. Maybe I would enjoy tonight, after all…

Emmett and Jasper led us to a table. Front and center. This is getting ridiculous. I mean, I did just resign myself that I would be celebrating my birthday in a strip club. But front and center of the stage? They are so going to pay for this. And they will owe me big time if they pay even a dime to get me a dance. I sat down with them, the furthest away from the stage as possible. But of course, Emmett noticed.

“Hey man, what are you doing sitting there?” He began to muscle me out of my chair and towards the seat of honor, again right down front and center of the stage. 

“Um…sitting?” I said, allowing my body to go limp. I knew trying to resist him was useless so I decided to just go limp and make it as hard as possible for him to manoeuvre me around. 

“You’re so funny Edward. Now get your ass on that chair,” he said, pointing to the chair closest to the stage.

And the chair just wasn’t close, it was pretty much leaning against the stage. Yup, the table was that close. So I did as he said and shut up. A man came out from behind the heavy curtains at the back of the stage with a microphone.

“Good evening gentlemen,” he greeted. “I’m Laurent and I will be your host this evening. Welcome to Twilight. For those of you that it is the first time, please be warned. You might get addicted.”

The crowd cheered, Emmett and Jasper included. 

Am I the only one not enjoying this?

“Let me introduce you to our first dancer tonight, Jessica.”

And the show went on like that for a while. There was Jessica, Irina, Tanya… 

Tanya with her nurse outfit. I mean…a nurse? Are there still men having that fantasy? Hello originality?

The drinks kept on coming as well, thanks to Jasper, but mostly Emmett. By the end of Tanya’s routine, I was more than a bit tipsy. Although, it did help to enjoy the night.

The host… what’s his name again? Lawrence or something? Anyway… he came out on the stage again.

“Well, well, gentlemen, everyone seems to have a good time tonight.”

The crowd sheered. Me included.

“Good! It’s not over. We have kept our two most adored dancers for last. This fine establishment has the reputation to have the most sexy and gorgeous girls on the west coast. Let me tell you, I think it’s mostly because of the next two. You will see Lily, but first… here is our most popular, Marie.”

Marie. I snorted. What the hell? Another big ass, big boobs, blond haired bimbo? Please. Let me tell you, my jaw literally dropped when this petite brunette appeared from behind the curtain dancing to Madonna’s Like a Virgin, wearing what looked like some kind of school uniform… so she was going with the school girl. A bit cliché… but how sexy she looked!

She started her routine with the pole on stage, spinning around it and such, discarding her top first. White underwear? Something so simple had had never been more sexy than at that moment. She got down on her knees, playing with her tie, looking around at the crowd. When she spotted me (hey, I’m front and center, kind of hard to miss), her eyes seemed to widen in surprise, but I quickly forgot about it because she was making her way towards me. On all four. Hot damn! 

When she got to me, she made me turn around on my chair so my back was leaning against the stage, then made my head rest on the planks. Then she kissed me. A kiss full of sensuality, but I also noticed some sweetness, as if she was trying to say she’s sorry for being rough. Let me tell you, I quickly forgave her. Some bills were slipped in my hand, so while we were still kissing, I slipped them in the front of her bra. A second later, she was gone. I remained there a few more seconds, dazed. Damn, that was one hell of a kiss. I didn’t even notice when her part was over, nor did I really pay attention to the next girl. Emmett appeared to be drooling all over the table, commenting on her mob girl dress. All I could think about was Marie, and how she surely knew how to kiss a man into oblivion.

I came out of my daze a bit later, the girls standing on stage in different outfits… if you could call them that. They barely covered anything. 

Turns out it was an auction of some sort. Great. I had a feeling my friends would try to get me a private dance. And how right was I. At first, I thought the idea hadn’t crossed their mind since they didn’t bid on Jessica, Irina, or Tanya. Especially when Emmett bid on the blond supermodel and won. But I didn’t realize there was still Marie left. By the enthusiasm of the crowd, I quickly understood she was the favourite. Surely they wouldn’t bid on her? It’s basically a lost cause! And again, I was wrong, because Jasper just won. I need another drink…


	6. Empty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I bring to you chapter 6, I hope you enjoy it. Thank you all for the support!

Oh. My. God. My highest bid ever! It was for $1000. This has never happened before. Not even to Tanya. Oh my God. The person must be pretty desperate. I mean… who pays that for a night with a girl? I mean really… a $1000? Isn’t it a bit too much? The highest bid that was given for me was $750. On a good night.

Laurent dismissed us so the winners could claim their prize. Mine was a tall, lanky blond guy that looked absolutely nothing like the other men in this bar. He didn’t quite seem the type to go to a strip club, period. I looked at Rose for a second, but she was already busy with the guy that had won her. Sensing I was looking at her, she looked at me and winked. Um, okay…

I plastered my most winning smile and walked towards my winner. He smiled back and helped me down from the stage. Why does this walk never get easier?

“Hello there,” I greeted him once I had my feet firmly planted on the ground… well, as much as they could be with those death traps adorning my feet.

“Hello darlin’, how are you?” His sweet, southern voice sounded so out of place here with all the other accents. His was definitely the stand out here for sure. 

“I’m very good, thank you kind sir,” I replied with a giggle. “May I ask what your name is?”

“Well, I could always tell you, but it won’t be of much use, I’m afraid.” His eyes held the answer to the secrets he was alluding to but for the life of me I couldn’t read his riddle. 

“Oh, and may I be so bold as to ask why?” Sometimes the direct approach is the best. 

“Well, milady, tonight, you will not be pleasing me.” He took a gentlemanly bow and swept his hand in the opposite direction. 

“Then who will it be?” I asked, apparently too tired to figure out anything about this situation. 

“You see my friend there?” I followed his finger and took in the ‘friend’ he gestured to; fear and excitement engulfed me at the same time. He pointed right to the guy sitting in the chair leaning against the stage. 

Oh. No. Not him. The same guy I kissed earlier. And God! Did he know how to kiss…so not the point, Bella. I chided myself. 

Seeing that my bidder was waiting for a response, I nodded, not able to say a word.

“Well, it’s his birthday today. Since he seemed to have enjoyed what you did with him earlier, I thought he’d appreciate a little more time with you.”

Great, I thought sarcastically. Wait… Why am I so paranoid all of a sudden? I mean… he can’t do anything to me, right? I mean… Oh, I don’t even know what I mean. All I know is that this guy… there is something about him.

“Ok, well thank you for your business…” I trailed off, wanting to get his name.

“Jasper,” he replied with a smirk.

“Thank you for your business, Jasper, I promise to take good care of your friend over there.”

With that, I walk towards Jasper’s friend. He had his head resting on the table in front of him. I took the chance to slowly pass my hand through his hair. It was the weirdest bronze color, but oh so soft… Just when I though it couldn’t get any better, he lifted his head and looked at me. His eyes and mouth fell open at the same time as he recognized me.

“Hello stranger, I’m your gift tonight. Follow me so you can unwrap it,” I told him with a wink.

I extended my hand for him to take, which he did after a small hesitation. I felt the electricity pass between us. I was stunned for a moment. If he felt it, he didn’t show. He seemed unaffected as he slowly stood up. 

Damn, he is tall…Stop with that already! 

I mentally tried to prepare as I lead him towards the back of the bar, where the private rooms were situated. The hallway contained five doors. Each door led to a room that contained some furniture: a couch, a table, some chairs, drawers… and each room belonged to one of us. Mine was the last one at the end of the hallway.

We entered the room and I led him to the couch on the far wall. By this point, nervousness was engulfing me. 

What’s going on with me? Why does this stranger make me feel all these things? 

His eyes inspired trust but my head resisted. It was too dangerous to trust anyone, much less someone who came to ‘use me’ in this damn club. I don’t even know him! And how could a guy like him ever like a girl such as me? I mean, I’m a stripper… okay, yes, I was forced into it, but still… And as much as I try to tell myself that I will find a way out, I can’t help but doubt sometimes. I mean, I’ve been here for two years, and I still haven’t thought of anything that could help me and Rose out.

Since there was no point driving myself crazy over what would never be, I concentrated on what was happening right this moment. I sat Birthday Boy down on the couch and straddled him.

"What's your name, big boy?" I ask him while caressing a finger down his cheek.

"Edward," he replies.

"Edward, huh? I like it. I heard it's your birthday today, Edward. How old are you?"

"21.” His innocence is so sexy. 

"Oh, the big 21. Well guess what? I'm not 21 yet, but shhhht! You can't tell anyone," I tell him in a faux whisper.

He chuckled. Well at least I amuse him.

“So, Edward, what would you like me to do?”

He thought for a second.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I’m not the one that came up with this idea. I didn’t even want to come here in the first place.” He replied with complete honesty. 

I frowned a little, he certainly seemed to be enjoying the evening earlier when I had him bent over while sucking on his tongue.

“Alcohol did help me enjoy the night.” He replied as if he could read my mind. 

“Did I think that out loud?”

He nodded, chuckling. I blushed. I fucking blushed. What was it with him? I’ve never blushed with my guests.

“What do you think if I start with a lap dance? Would you like that, Edward?” I asked, hoping that I really did make this a night he would enjoy, since it was his birthday and all. 

“Um…can we just dance first?”

“Sure, no problem.”

I got off of his lap and went to the stereo behind the bar. Britney Spears’ I’m A Slave 4 U started playing and I made my way back to him. I extended my hand out to him and helped him up. I led him to the center of the room and started lightly swaying my hips, waiting for him to follow. He did after a few seconds. 

Before I even realized it things heated up and I found myself grinding my ass against his crotch, him keeping my hips in place with a hand on my stomach, the other traveling up and down my back under the fabric of my top. His cool fingertips touching my warm skin was heaven. I still felt the small shockwaves pass over me. It was pure heaven. Never had I enjoyed a night so much. 

I realized that while he was almost drunk, he knew how to dance. We went on like that for a few more songs, and then he pulled me back to the couch to sit. I offered him something more to drink. When he reached for the drink I took the opportunity to straddle him again, moving a bit to the beat of the songs playing. We didn’t say anything for a while, but somehow the silence wasn’t awkward. 

Edward’s hands began to wander on my body, and it was amazing. The electricity between us was stronger, but it felt…right. He had started dropping light kisses on my collarbones when D’Angelo’s How Does It Feel came on.

“I love this song,” I heard him say between kisses. That was my cue. 

I gently pushed him away and stood up, my arms above my head and swivelling my hips to the slow but sensual rhythm of the song. Soon, he stood up as well and joined me, moving with me, his hands moving on my abdomen, under the fabric of my top. His fingers went up to the underside of my breasts, but they never went higher than that. I was grateful and disappointed at the same time. Grateful because he seemed to be a gentleman, respecting my limits, and disappointed because somehow… I wanted his hands everywhere on me. They made me feel incredible… alive. And the electricity… it was almost unbearable. I needed a minute, so I gently pushed him away again. I slowly walked around him with my hand dragging along on his chest. When I was behind him, I leaned my whole body against him, both of my arms around him, and we rocked together to the music for a while. Edward pulled me back around in front of him again. This time, I was facing him. He leaned his forehead against mine; I placed my hands on his forearms, until he kissed me. And I mean, full on the mouth kissed me. I could almost hear fireworks exploding around us. The longer we kissed, the more the electricity crackled. I was almost scared we would be the cause of a power surge, it was so intense. 

At that moment, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was he and I, here. Nothing else existed outside of our bubble. I barely knew the guy, but at the same time it felt like I had known him forever.

I suddenly found myself lying horizontal on the couch, Edward above me, his mouth still kissing my neck and collarbones.

“Can you feel it?” he suddenly asked.

“Feel what?” I asked despite my foggy mind.

“This…the electricity…between us…”

“Yes, I can feel it. It’s… oh my god…” I trailed off when he found a particularly sensitive spot around my ear.

“Tell me to stop.” He panted against my skin. 

“Why?” For the life of me I couldn’t find a reason to actually say the words he asked for. 

“Because I… I don’t want this to happen like this.” I understood the reasoning behind the words but still couldn’t make myself say them. 

My moment of hesitation must have given him the chance he needed to pull away without me saying anything. I know for a fact that I would not have been able to tell him to stop. 

He put his forehead against mine again, breathing heavily.

“I want to get to know you.” His clear, sweet eyes revealed that his words held no untruth at all. 

I wanted to cry. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t tell him anything. He couldn’t know. I was crushed to know that the one person on the planet that wanted to know me, couldn’t. 

He obviously misunderstood my pause because he quickly said, “Please.” The pleading quality did me in. 

Reluctantly, I nodded. Opening my eyes, I could see a crooked smile adorning his face. It was breathtaking.

“I’ll even pay you, if you want…here,” he reached into his jeans and pulled out a fifty dollars bill. “Fifty dollars. And we play twenty questions.”

I giggled.

“Okay,” I agreed.

His smile was once again breathtaking. He left a searing kiss on my lips that made me moan, and then manoeuvred us around so we were spooning on the couch, his left arm under my head, and his right around my waist, his hand under the tulle of my top, lightly caressing my stomach. I felt content. There was nothing sexual about this contact, it was purely soothing. 

“Okay, first question. What’s your name?” His voice was clear and strong yet his face seemed hesitant. 

“Marie.” I replied, two years of coaching kicked in. 

“Isn’t that your stage name?” Somehow he saw right through me. 

I nodded hesitantly, biting my bottom lip.

“Aren’t I more than a customer by now?” The desire to be more clearly evident. 

I sighed, resigned.

“You’re right. You can call me Bella.” I bit my lip in nervousness, two years I had survived with only Rose knowing who I really was and now that I had said it out loud it scared me to trust him with my secret. What if this was a set up? 

I felt him nuzzle my hair.

“Hmm. Bella. Beautiful in Italian. Very appropriate.”

I blushed. So maybe he really was as interested as I was. 

“You have seventeen questions left,” I told him after a moment of silence.

He chuckled.

“Okay, let’s see…how old are you?”

“20.”

“Your favourite color?”

“Green,” I answered immediately, and blushed. Until today, it was blue. You can’t blame me for changing though, his eyes are gorgeous.

“Hobbies?”

“Mmm…reading, writing, mostly. I also like to watch movies.”

“Interesting. What do your parents do for a living?”

“My father is a cop, and my mom, well…I don’t know. I don’t really talk to her.”

Which isn’t very far from the truth, I haven’t talked to Renee in the two years I’ve been trapped in this situation.

“Do they know about your current job?”

I bit down on my bottom lip.

“I don’t think they do, no.”

“Did you take this job to pay for school?”

Shit. How do I get out of this one?

“Um… not exactly. I kind of postponed my studies for a bit. I didn’t really know what I wanted to do once I was out of high school.”

“Do you know what you want to do now?”

“I think I will study English, to be an editor or something along those lines.”

“That’s great,” he said, leaving a light kiss on my shoulder.

He was silent for a moment, lightly brushing his lips against my shoulder and at the base of my neck. I couldn’t help but arch into him.

“Ten questions left,” I reminded him.

He chuckled. I smiled. This felt so natural.

“Were you born here in Washington?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

I was saved by a knock at the door. This was the signal that the club was closing soon. I sighed, sad that I had to let him go.

“What was that?” he asked.

“The ten minutes warning. The club is closing.”

“Oh.” He seemed genuinely disappointed. I was flattered.

“Yeah.”

I slowly sat up, and he followed suit. He made me straddle his lap again, hugging me tight to his body. I couldn’t help but hug him back. It certainly felt like he didn’t want to let me go, I understood fully because I didn’t want him to go either. It felt like there was no one else but us in the world. But I had to let him go. For his sake, his safety. As much as it pained me, I couldn’t get involved with him. Not for as long as I was trapped in Phil’s clutches.

A moment later, Edward stood us both up.

“I will come back,” he promised.

I only nodded, leaning my forehead against his. It was all I could do. If I opened my mouth to say something, I would only cry. With a deep kiss that left me panting and wanting more, we said goodbye. I could feel him getting farther and farther away from me, with each step he took the more empty I felt.


	7. Aftermath

When I couldn't feel Edward's presence anymore, I stayed sitting there for a while. I couldn't believe everything that had transpired tonight. I had never felt anything like this before. How can you feel so close to someone on the first meeting?

I was brought out of my thoughts by a knock at the door. Laurent peeked in.

"Hey, we're closing up. You better hurry out."

I just nodded, making my way out of the room. Laurent was always nice to me and Rose, but he would never dream of taking our side against Phil…or Tanya, or James, or Victoria.

James was Phil's right hand man. And it was as if he had a sixth sense. Sometimes the way he looked at me was just plain creepy. Like he knew I was planning something…

Victoria was James's girlfriend. She was the bartender. She had been a dancer, but she retired two years ago when I arrived. And I can't talk about Victoria without talking about Tanya. For some reason, Tanya hates me. Add to that that Irina is her sister; let's just say I'm not welcomed around here.

On my way to the changing room that Rose and I shared, I came across Tanya, Irina and Jessica. Tanya "accidentally" bumped my shoulder then continued on her way as if nothing had happened. I was used to that by now, their hatred never waned.

I slowly entered the changing room, still somewhat in a daze. Rose was already there, sitting in front of her mirror and slowly removing her make-up. I flopped down on the seat at my make up table beside Rose.

As I removed the make-up and sweat of the night, my mind wandered again to Edward and the time we spent together in my private room. I'm so confused. I don't know what to do. Part of me, and I don't know how dominant that part might be, ached for him. For his touch. It all felt so natural and real that I don't ever want to live without his touch again. The other part of me, the more realistic one, is saying that it's impossible to get in a relationship with him. I can't even get out of the house when I'm not at the club, so how could we possibly even entertain the idea of dating? Even if he was so obviously interested in pursuing something with me, it wasn't possible. I was still Phil's prisoner and no matter how much I wanted to be with Edward, I would never drag him into this fucked up situation.

When I was done washing my face, I looked at Rose. She was strangely silent. She seemed to have a contemplative look on her face. Sensing I was looking at her, she turned to me and gave me a small smile.

"I need to talk to you," she simply told. I knew that meant we would spend a good part of the night talking in the basement.

"Okay," I replied.

As I was removing my top, the door opened and Phil came in.

"You have five minutes, then we're leaving." He told us, and then left the room. His cold eyes always managed to give me a chill.

Rose and I looked at each other, as we scrambled to get changed so that we were ready when he came back. I was just putting on my shoes when he came in again. Without a word, we filed out and quickly walked to the back door of the club. It was easy to let my mind wander and just allow my body to be on autopilot because like every night for the last two years the same car was waiting there. Phil opened the door behind the driver and roughly pushed me and Rose inside.

I hit my head against the handle of the door on the other side, but I didn't utter a word. I knew there was no reason to after all it would only make things worse. Rose saw it happen though, so I knew she would take a look at it once we were alone in the basement of the house.

On the ride to the house, we passed a multitude of shops and cafés. I would have given anything at that moment to be in a bookstore looking for something to read or in a café, enjoying a cup of coffee with Rose.

Or Edward, dare I even hope and dream of a day when that would happen. My mind wandered back to him again. There must be a way for us to get out of this situation. Maybe Edward could… no, I refused to even entertain that idea. He could get hurt in the process, and I didn't want that to happen. I would rather be the one to make the sacrifice and simply see him healthy and alive in the confines of the club. That way I knew that he would never suffer at Phil's hands because of me.

A sigh escaped me when I saw we were pulling up at the house. Phil roughly pulled me and Rose out of the car. He seemed angrier tonight for some reason. I knew better than to make a wrong move or sound on these nights. He was twice as rough as normal. Phil ushered us inside and down the stairs to the basement, then closed the door and locked it.

Once we were safely alone, we sat down on the bed and waited. Phil would be back, he always came back. Like clockwork, Phil reappeared a few minutes later, coming down with not only shampoo, but also conditioner.

"I'm happy tonight girls," he suddenly said after he had dropped the supplies in the bathroom. This seemed like a huge contradiction to his rough treatment of Rose and I in the car but I would never think of asking him why. "You have twenty minutes." Without another word, he went back upstairs. Not in the whole time we had been here had we ever been given twenty whole minutes to shower.

"You go first," Rose told me. "You're the one that had the highest bid tonight, you deserve it."

I blushed. "Thanks." I pulled out the fifty Edward had given me along with a few bills I had managed to steal from the money that was slipped in my bra and panties during my solo and waved them in Rose's direction. "Here, put it with the rest."

She just nodded and I made my way to the bathroom.

I got into the shower and washed my hair thoroughly, knowing the next time I could use conditioner would be in quite a while. I finished off quickly, hurriedly drying myself to let Rose have her time in the shower.

When she was done, she joined me on the bed and took a look at my head. I could feel the excitement radiating off of her. I guess I wasn't the only one that had a good night.

"I had such a wonderful time tonight, Bella!" she exclaimed when she was done with my head.

I shared my smile with her, I certainly understood her happiness. I think this was the first time we knew genuine happiness in the two long years we had been together.

"Emmett was absolutely wonderful!" She continued without me inviting her to do so. "I'm so used to men bossing me around, always asking for the same things… Emmett was… different. And not just as a client, Bella."

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean… Emmett is not just a client to me, Bella. I can't really explain it… but we have this kind of… connection. Like two magnets. He makes me feel so many things! I had feelings for Royce once, but it's different with Emmett." Her face was an unreadable mask.

"Good different, or bad different?" I asked, needing to know what lay beneath that mask she wore.

"Definitely good different."She was absolutely glowing.

Wait… glowing? She didn't… did she?

"Rose," I started hesitantly, "did you and Emmett, you know…"

"Did Emmett and I what?" she asked when she saw I wasn't continuing.

I blushed. Yup, I still blushed when sex came up.

"Did you and Emmett… go all the way?"

At her confused face, I sighed. Bite the bullet Bella, damn it!

"Did you and Emmett have sex in your room?"

She blushed. Rosalie Hale actually blushed! That answered my question. I have to mark this day somewhere…

"Rose! H-h-how…?"

"Well, you know, this connection… one thing led to another, you know, and before I know it, we were both horizontal on the couch with no clothes on and making out like mad. And our connection deepened when he penetrated me…"

"Rose, I don't need the details, please!"

"I'm not giving you the details. I'm just stating that when I felt him inside me, it just felt… there aren't even words to describe the feelings I had at that moment. It just felt right, you know." Her face searched mine, looking for something that told her I did really understand what she meant.

She paused for a moment, like she was contemplating something.

"But as much as I enjoyed my time with Emmett tonight, I don't think it would be a good idea to try and build a relationship with him right now. I mean, we can't even get out of this basement when we're not at the club, what's the point in pursuing anything? He would get suspicious when he'd see I can't go out on a date with him, and then start asking questions I can't answer. I would only end up hurting him."

Poor Rose. I knew how she felt. If she only knew…

"But you know, I can't help how I feel," she said after a moment of silence. "I think I've fallen in love with Emmett, Bella. He even promised to come back to the club soon for me!"

I gave her a small smile. Edward promised the same thing.

"Now what about you?" She asked excitedly. "How was your time with the big spender?"

"His name is Edward," I said, biting my bottom lip nervously. "The time I spent with him… it was… magical." Well, as magical as it could be under these circumstances.

"Ah, come on Bella, tell me more!" Rose squealed, clapping her hands.

Geeze, okay. I took a deep breath.

"Things were a bit awkward at first. I kind of had to push a little to have him talk to me. It was his birthday today. He said it wasn't his idea of being there for his birthday, so he didn't know what to ask from me. He didn't seem very okay with it anyway. We danced for a bit, and things got… heated."

Rose gave me a big smile. Yeah, if only it were that easy.

"We ended up making out on the couch. Don't give me that look Rose, we didn't go as far as you and Emmett!"

She pouted. I laughed.

"We almost did though, as he asked me to tell him to stop. But I didn't. I couldn't. As much as I felt how wrong it was for us to have sex there, I couldn't bring myself to stop him. It was so good, it felt so right. And you know that connection you were talking about earlier?"

She nodded.

"I had that too, with Edward. It was like… electricity. The more intense things were between us, the more I could feel that electricity. He felt it too, you know. He even asked me if I could feel it."

Rose's eyes were as big as saucers. I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"After we stopped making out, we curled up on the couch. He said he wanted to get to know me." At that, tears started to fill my eyes and a lump filled my throat. I couldn't help but sniff.

"Are you alright, Bella? What happened?" Her face searched mine again but for a different reason this time. This time was to make sure I was okay, and not for anything as superficial as to find out how much fun I had with Edward.

"He was so nice, Rose!" I exclaimed through my tears. "The feeling of being in his arms… it was incredible, like I was meant to be there. There was no awkwardness. He's a complete stranger, but it felt as if I had always known him, you know? We played Twenty questions… well, more like eleven, because someone knocked at the door before we could get to twenty. That's where the fifty bucks came from, he offered to pay for the answers," I smiled at that memory.

"What did he ask?"

"Basic stuff, my name, my age, where I'm from." I shrugged my shoulders at the predictability of his questions. "Stuff like that." I was scared to share the last question with Rose. I was afraid of her reaction to it. "He asked why I had taken that job."

"Did you tell him the truth?"

"For the most part. I told him my name and age, but I gave him half-truths for the other questions. When he asked where I was from in Washington, that's when there was a knock at the door."

"He really does want to get to know you."

I could only nod, another lump forming in my throat.

"When it was time for him to go, he seemed genuinely disappointed. He hugged me so tight, as if he didn't want to let me go." The lump in my throat was growing bigger by the second. "And I didn't want to let him go either." More tears escaped me at that, and Rose hugged me. "You know, until that knock at the door, it was as if we were alone, as if we were a normal couple that has just started dating. We were in our own bubble, in our own world. Just before he left, he gave me this soft, deep kiss, and promised he would come back."

Silent tears were falling from my eyes, remembering how empty I felt once he was gone. How empty I felt at this very moment.

"As much as I want us to be more, we can't. Like you said earlier, I couldn't even go out on a date with him, and he would get suspicious. It would be too hard, and I would only end up hurting him. As much as it hurts me, I have to let him go." The tears fell in earnest with my last statement.

It was silent for a while, my sniffling was the only sound in the room.

"I have an idea," Rose suddenly said.

I only looked up at her, unable to say a word.

"Maybe, you know… maybe Emmett and Edward could help us."

Realizing what she was saying, I started shaking my head no furiously.

"No," I said, finally finding my voice. "No, I refuse to take that risk. I refuse to even entertain the possibility of them getting hurt if things were to go wrong. I'd rather see a healthy Edward in the confines of the club until he gets tired of me instead of having him hurt when things turn for the worst."

"But Bella, think about it! Things don't always go wrong! You've got to be positive, here! This opportunity could never present itself again!"

I only shook my head no again. I couldn't… Rose sighed in defeat. Wanting this night to be over now, I laid down on my side of the bed, my back to her. She must have sensed I wouldn't discuss this again, so she lay down as well after she went to turn off the light in the bathroom.


	8. Aftermath EPOV

The further I walked from Bella, the emptier I felt. It was like I left a part of me in there.

I slowly made my way outside, where the guys were waiting for me in Emmett's jeep at the curb. I climbed into the back seat and tuned the guys out after Emmett began to go on and on about Rosalie.

It must have been the girl that he spent his time with… wasn't her name Lily? Anyway… I really wasn't in the mood for Emmett's blabbering.

Just as Jasper was pulling away from the curb, a black car came out from the alley beside the bar. I wondered if Bella was in it and if she was safe? As we made our way back to the apartment I shared with the guys, I just watched the scene fly by me. I saw a few restaurants, book shops, cafes… the book shops made me think of her and our earlier conversation. She appeared to me as the kind to like quiet nights. I'm sure she enjoyed reading a book to pass the time. I'll have to remember to ask her next time I see her. We weren't done with my twenty questions, after all.

I noticed that Emmett had turned around to talk to me at some point, but what he said didn't register. It's not like I gave a shit right then anyway. I really wasn't interested in hearing what kind of prowess he had with 'his' girl in the private room.

I just wanted… Bella.

I've only known her for a few hours, but I already missed her so much.

I didn't notice the car being pulled into a parking space next to our apartment complex. It only registered when Emmett pulled my door open.

"Hey bro, what's up? You haven't said a word all the ride back!" His enthusiasm was usually contagious but not tonight.

"I'm not in the mood, Emmett," I replied, as I made my way to the main door.

"Why not?" He sobered instantly when he saw my face.

"Em, just leave him be," I heard Jasper say.

The way up to our apartment was a blur to me. Before I knew it, we were in front of our door. Jasper unlocked it and we made our way inside. I made a beeline for the couch, sitting down with my head in my hands. What was going on with me?

Suddenly, a beer bottle was presented to me. I looked up and saw Emmett was offering it.

"Thanks," I said after taking a sip. "Where's Jas?"

"Went to bed." Em sounded worried, not a tone you heard from him often.

I just nodded.

"So…wanna tell me what's got your panties in a bunch?" Emmett asked after a moment of silence.

Ugh…he's worse than a girl sometimes. Maybe I should just give in, only to get him off my case.

"I had a great night, don't get me wrong," I started, and then it seemed as if I couldn't shut up. "At first I really wasn't sure about this, but now… Em, that girl… I don't know what's going on with me. I want her. She's so far from what I thought she would be."

He sat his beer down on the table and raised his eyebrows as he asked. "Did you guys have sex in there?"

Real nice, Em. Real nice.

"No!" I shouted a little louder than I should have.

"What? Don't look at me like that! I had sex with Rosalie in her room!" A large grin that showed off both of his dimples eased across his face. He got a far off look in his eyes as well.

"Oh geeze… Em, is she even clean?" I knew it was mean as hell to say but I couldn't help it, I was not in the mood to deal with anyone else's problems right now, so I went for the mean approach.

"Hey, don't talk about my Rosie like that! Of course she's clean! She told me they got tested regularly. And sex with the customers doesn't happen very often anyway." Emmett defended himself.

I looked at him doubtfully for a second.

"Yeah, okay," I accepted, taking another sip of my beer. I realized that attacking Emmett for falling for his girl was not going to get me anywhere so I dropped it.

"So, you enjoyed your night?"He asked out of the side of his mouth while he picked up his beer again and took a sip.

"Yeah, I did." I couldn't lie to him, I really enjoyed my night with Bella. I was just torn as hell about the parts that happened after she left the room. I mean how could I have left her there in that place? No matter the amount of misery I felt right then, I still smiled when I pictured her sweet face I couldn't help it.

"That's all you're going to give me?" Emmett pressed.

"Yep. There are some things I want to keep private, Em. For now, at least." The beer was cold as I took a large drink, hoping that Emmett would hold off on the questions for now. At least until I got my head on straight and I figured out what the hell I was going to do about Bella.

He was silent for a moment.

"Alright." He turned to take his empty bottle to the trash. He turned on his heel and faced me again, "If there were anything wrong, you'd tell me right?" I saw the depth of his love for me written on his face and I had to reassure him that nothing was wrong.

"Of course I'd tell you Em. But I promise, nothing's wrong. I'm just…thinking." It really wasn't a lie as much as an omission. I knew that something was wrong; I just didn't know what yet. I had to find out more about Bella's situation.

"'Bout what?" there were days when I really wanted to kill Emmett. This was one of those days.

I sighed.

"That girl. I like her." I responded to him, giving up as much as I was willing to right this moment.

"You like her?" Emmett's head must be filled with rocks, didn't I just say that?

I nodded.

"Well then, get her out of there and sweep her off her feet man! That's exactly what I'm gonna do with Rosie." The simplistic plan sounded like heaven to my ears but I knew it was not going to be that easy.

"Really?" I couldn't help but ask, I wanted it to be that easy with every fibre of my being, I wanted it.

"Yeah." He shrugged as if to imply that it really was no big deal, we sweep in, take the girls and leave. People do it every single day.

"How will you get her out of there?" Again, I was praying that he had suddenly formed a plan for us.

"Um… I don't know yet. But I'll think about it."

"Okay. Let me know?" Regret and doubt flooded me but I pushed it away because Bella meant that much to me.

"Sure bro. Alright, I'm gonna crash too, I'm wiped. See ya in the morning." The transformation from playful to serious to playful always astounded me. Emmett truly could shake things off and move on. I needed to take a page out of his book. Worrying would not solve this problem.

"Yeah, night Em." I responded half-heartedly.

"Night." He called over his shoulder as he walked down the hall to his room.

I sat back on the couch and took another sip of my beer, I pondered over what Emmett said. To be with Bella, surely, the best option was to get her out of there. But how? I couldn't possibly just put her over my shoulder and run, right? Was she even hired there, or is she there because of a pimp? Now that I think about it, her answers earlier when I asked her about her studies and her parents… they were kind of vague. I must have read too much into this. I mean, I did have one too many drinks tonight, maybe it's best I just go to bed.

I took the last sip of my beer and dropped the bottle in the trash. I stripped down to my boxers and got under the covers. I fell asleep as Bella gently floated around inside my mind.

It's a good thing the next day was a Saturday, because I woke up with a headache. I'd had worst, the night of my 20th birthday, for example, courtesy of Emmett, but I'd take things slow for the day. I lounged around the apartment all day, just watched a few movies and listened to some music. There's one thing I couldn't get off my mind though: Bella. She was everywhere. I saw something and wondered if she'd like it, or would like to do that with me, etc. I was almost frustrated with myself. Key word here: almost. Because I couldn't really be mad about the fact that I thought about her, for god's sake.

When Emmett got home from work, he wanted to play Guitar Hero on the Xbox 360, so I indulged him, I didn't really have anything else to do, so why not? But once again, all the time I played, I thought of Bella, wondering if she'd like to play this game? If she would be able to beat Emmett?

"Dude, seriously." Emmett's voice slapped me out of my thoughts.

"What?" I asked with a frown.

"Are you even paying attention to what's going on in front of you?" He always took his games very seriously and I apparently wasn't today.

I looked at the TV screen and saw that my character had been beaten by Emmett by a long shot.

"Um, I guess not," I said with a sheepish grin.

"What's going on man? You've been out of it since last night. It can't be the alcohol; you hold it even better than I do."

I snickered.

"No, it's not the alcohol. I just can't get Bella out of my head, man. I don't know what's going on with me."

"Ah, Bella. You gotta do something man, or you're gonna go crazy." He clicked on our next song and began to play. I still wanted to talk so I play half assed as I tried to talk.

"Ugh, don't I know it. Any idea as to how we can get them out of there?"

"Nope. All I could come up with is putting her over my shoulder and run." At least I felt better about thinking this last night, I guess it wasn't as stupid a plan as I originally thought it was.

I laughed at that.

"Yeah, same here."

Emmett paused the game so that we could bump fists. Just as Emmett tried to restart the game I heard hear my cell phone ring in my room. I put down the guitar and rushed to get to it in time.

"Hello twin," I answered after looking at the caller ID.

"Hello twin," Alice repeated.

"To what do I owe the honor?"

"Can't I just call my brother to say hi?"

"Alice, I know you. You never call to just say hi. I'm even surprised you didn't call earlier." I knew without a doubt that she had something up her sleeve, something that she knew.

"I was working today, I'll have you know." Her answer was cool and casual but I knew she was anything but deep down inside. These little insights always put her over the top happy.

"That usually doesn't stop you," I replied with a smirk.

"Pfff. So how was your night last night?"

"It was nice. Not really my type of outing, but I had fun." I replied honestly, she would know if I was lying anyway.

"From what Jasper told me, it wasn't just a bit of fun." Her tone was teasing as she dropped the info she knew. I would kill Jasper if I could get my hands on him. The last person that I needed hounding me about Bella was Alice. I just didn't know what to do yet and I needed time before Alice began to ask me all of her questions.

I groaned, "Well for your information, my dear sister, I did enjoy myself last night, but that was mostly because of all the alcohol I drank, courtesy of Jasper and Emmett."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep telling yourself that."

"Alice… do you know something that I don't?" It was stupid of me to ask, I could tell that she did.

"Why?"

"Just… forget it." I sputtered.

I could hear my sister giggle at the other end of the line. Damn pixie.

"By the way Alice, why did you let Jasper go out with us last night?"

"Well… I thought you would enjoy a night out with your male friends for your birthday, Edward. Plus, you needed a designated driver." I could picture her sticking her tongue out at me in jest and also because she was sure she was right about us.

I thought back to all of the drinks I took in last night, and I wanted to be upset about it…but I couldn't be. The courage to talk to Bella, hold Bella, be myself with Bella partially came from those drinks so I would never lament the amount that I drank last night.

"Uh huh. You have never let anyone getting out of any party you planned for our birthday Alice. I don't believe you." She still hadn't revealed what she had up her sleeve but I was willing to wait for it, Alice's reveals were always done to perfection. She never let me down yet and I prayed that she wouldn't let me down this time either.

"Edward!" I could hear the indignation in her voice. Oops… "I'm not 18 anymore! I think I'm past the stage of holding a grudge at anyone that doesn't make it to any party I organize!"

Maybe I should just shut up…

"Besides, you didn't make it to my Halloween party last year; you're not getting out of the next one." I could hear the huff in her voice. "And I decide what you get to wear." She finished off so sweetly, how could I say no to her, she was my twin after all and I lived to make her happy. Not!

I knew it was useless to fight her so I just gave in and let her win. "Alright, fine. Was there anything else, sister?"

"Nope."

"Good. See you later, then."

"Bye!"

Speaking with my sister always took a lot of energy.


	9. Untouched

EPOV

This week has been hell. Classes are pretty intense for summer classes. It's finally the weekend and I look forward to some down time.

Bella has been in my thoughts all week. I wonder if I would seem too eager if I went back tonight… I have to talk to Emmett about it when I get back to the apartment.

As usual, I find him on the couch playing Halo on the Xbox 360, cursing at the game's characters for making him die.

"Hey Em," I greet him.

"Hey Ed, what's up?" he replies, I could hear how distracted he is. His eyes never leave the game as he speaks.

"Nothing much, just got home from class. Got anything planned for tonight?" That catches his attention; he pauses the game and immediately turns to me.

"I don't know, why?" His face is a mask so it's hard to tell what he is thinking, so I just go for it.

"Well…wanna go back to the club from last week?"

"Ah ha!" he exclaims. I should have known he would give me shit for that… "I knew it! You so loved it there!" His face is now an excited mix of joy and satisfaction.

"Yeah, yeah… so what do you say?" I don't want to mess around with the unnecessary details. I want the answer to my question.

"Hell yeah! What time are we leaving?" Emmett stands up and saves his game.

I look down at my watch and see it's already 9 PM.

"Let's say in one hour." I need time to go and get ready but at the same time I want to run out the door right the fuck now.

"Okay!"

He turns back to his game and I make my way to my room. Just as I close the door, Jasper comes in.

"Yo Jas! You won't believe this!" I hear Emmett start. I just roll my eyes and close my bedroom door.

About an hour later, I nervously drive my Volvo towards Twilight with Emmett in the passenger seat. He doesn't help my nervousness at all with his habit of messing around with the radio.

"Emmett, will you please choose a station?" I ask, annoyed with his change in stations every ten seconds.

"It's not my fault if they're just playing crap!"

I roll my eyes and ignore him for the rest of the ride. Once there, I park my car and we make our way inside. I notice that the solo dances have just started. I quickly make my way to a table close to the stage and sit down. I recognize the girl that was currently performing as Tanya, she wore the nurse outfit. Still no originality, if you ask me, but most of the men seem to enjoy it. Good for them. More chances for me to win Bella in the auction later.

I see Tanya approach me and I stiffen a little. What should I do? She bends down in front of me, her ass all in my face. I have no clue what she wants but it doesn't matter to me, because I don't want her. So I just… do nothing. That seems to frustrate her, it is fully apparent in the glare she sends me while she makes her way to someone else. Well, who cares? I'm not here for her anyway.

A while later it's finally time for Bella's solo. My heart misses a beat when I see her step through the curtain and make her way to the pole. I admire her from afar, but I see her face change slightly when she looks in my vicinity and recognizes me.

BPOV

Oh. My. God. He's here. He's really here. He kept his promise. I have to tell Rose.

I try to go through my routine as normally as possible, but inside, I'm ecstatic. I suddenly just want to jump up and down, then hug him and never let go. That would be incredibly out of character for me, but I'm that excited. I work my way over to where he sits, slowly, ever so slowly so as to not make a big deal out of it to anyone else that watches me dance. I just want to hear his voice, feel his touch, anything. I crawl over to him and pull him by his shirt collar.

"Hi," I say, with my excitement barely contained. I'm pretty sure he picks up on it anyway based on the crooked smile he gives me.

"Hey beautiful," he responds and I can feel the heat in my face.

I don't have much time, so I say, "Win me at the auction."

He nods firmly and I let go, I need to wrap up my routine to leave and prepare for the auction.

As I run off stage, I come across Rose who is waiting just behind the curtain.

"They're here!" I tell her, unable to contain my excitement any longer. She frowns in confusion. The thing is I can't say much… Our guys, I mouth to her. She finally catches on and she smiles brightly. "Go give him all you got!" I tell her before she makes her way onto the stage.

With that, I walk back to our dressing room to put on my auction outfit. As I apply some more make-up, Tanya walks in. I tell myself that nothing can make me give up my good mood. Nothing.

"Nice show out there," she says. Sarcasm drips from every word she says.

"Um… thanks," I reply, not sure where she's going with this.

"That guy you grabbed, isn't it the same as last week?" I shudder inside and feel cold as she inspects me, waiting for a reaction. This can't be good.

"I don't know, why?" I turn back to the mirror and fake a smile as I apply some lip gloss.

"He's mine. Be warned." Tanya steps into my line of sight in the mirror and gives me a smile full of warning.

What? She can't really believe she'll have him… right? I drop the lip gloss and try to hold my emotions in check. She must be fucking with me.

"You can't be foolish enough to believe he would be interested in you?" The hate and venom all show with each word I spit at her.

"I am the foolish one? What about you?" she says while she looks me up and down with disgust. "How can he possibly be interested in you?"

"Looks aren't everything." I reply, as I hope that my statement is strong and will dispel her argument.

"Maybe, maybe not. But they can get you a lot further." She fluffs her hair and turns to walk away from me.

I raise an eyebrow at that.

"You really believe that?" I call to her turned back.

Just as she is about to respond, Laurent appears at my door.

"Auction is in a minute, girls. Are you ready?" he asks. Tanya and I both nod, and he leaves.

"This discussion is far from over." She says before she leaves, crossing Rosalie on her way out.

"What was that about?" Rosalie asks, her new outfit was donned in record time.

"I think someone's jealous." I check my reflection in the mirror one more time before I stand to leave.

"You're kidding." Rose asks incredulously.

"Nope," Is my simple reply.

"We'll discuss this when we'll be back in our basement. Let's go." I nod and we head to the stage.

Once it's Tanya's turn to be sold, I can see her look in Edward's direction, but he doesn't even budge when her bidding starts. I can't help but feel smug inside. He wants me.

A little while later, Rosalie has just been sold over to Emmett for a nice five hundred dollars, and there is only me left. The bids start at two hundred fifty dollars. Edward is prompt, but some old, big man in the back outbids him every time.

"Nine hundred!" The big old man in the back shouts.

"One thousand!" Edward immediately replies. Does he even have that much in his hands?

When they get to one thousand three hundred, I can see the other man has started to get nervous. Why doesn't he just give up? I'm here every night of the week…

Ugh, Bella, stop that.

"One thousand four hundred fifty going once, one thousand four hundred fifty going twice… sold to the young man front stage for one thousand four hundred fifty dollars! I think we have established a new record! Come and get your prizes, gentlemen!" Laurent's voice is full of joy at the prices we have taken in tonight. I want to stick my tongue out at Tanya but I refrain. Maybe this will shut her ass up, when she sees me walk away to a back room on Edward's arm.

I try not to skip over to Edward, but I think my excitement is palpable. Edward smirks at me, grabs my hand and we immediately make our way to my private room in the back. Once we're safely inside, I jump up in his arms.

"You came back!" is all I can find to say. He chuckles.

"Of course I came back. I told you I would, didn't I?"

I just continue to grin. He chuckles again and makes his way over to the couch. We both sit down, him on the couch, me on him. Pure heaven.

"You know," I hear Edward say after a while, "we weren't done with my twenty questions."

I giggle.

"Alright then," I reply, "what's your next question? You have eight left. And you need to pay up; I got fifty dollars for twelve questions last time." I sass him with a hand on my hip as I speak.

He chuckles and digs around in his pockets; he pulls out two fifties and hands them to me. I don't really like to take his money like this, but I tell myself it is for a good cause. That money will help me and Rose out when we are finally able to break free.

"That enough?" he asks teasingly. I laugh at him, nodding.

"You're beautiful when you laugh."

I blush at his comment. It is his turn to laugh. What a beautiful sound… I want to make him laugh like this all the time… Hold on there Bella! Getting a bit ahead of ourselves, aren't we? Maybe I was, but I can't help but feel hopeful.

"So, weren't you going to ask me more questions?" I say as I try to take the pressure off of myself a bit.

"Hmm, let's see… do you like to travel?" His face is so beautiful as he searches mine while he waited for my answer.

"I honestly don't know. I've never travelled." His eyes were as wide as saucers at this.

"Never?" I shake my head no.

"Well we must remedy this. Where would you like to go?" His face is sceptical yet hopeful all at the same time.

I shrug. I'd never given it much thought as I've never really thought I would ever be free from this place in order to plan anywhere that I would want to go.

"Come on, there must be some places you're dying to see." He prods. His face is lit with excitement, it's adorable. I feel silly for not having a list of places, he obviously does. I shrug again.

"Do you have any suggestions?" He hums in my ear.

"I will take you to London, Rome, Venice, Athens… Paris…" I smile, as I realize his pattern right away.

"Rome, Venice, Paris? You're a romantic."

"So what if I am?" It's his turn to shrug.

"I never said it was a bad thing," I reply with a wink.

This goes on for a while, Edward asking anything that comes to his mind, and I answer everything as honestly as I can without giving too much of my secret away. When he comes to his last question, Edward seems at a loss as of to what to ask.

"You ran out of questions?" I tease him.

At that, he tickles me. I try to get away from him, but he's faster and he easily pins me to the couch. I surrender almost immediately. The atmosphere quickly changes around us though. Edward hovers over me; part of his weight resting on my body. I reach up to push away some hair that has fallen into his eye.

"Okay, last question," he says softly. I nod. "May I kiss you?"

Finally! I exclaim in my head. I bite down on my bottom lip and nod again. I'm barely done with my answer when his lips crash against mine, he kisses me passionately. I respond with the same vigour. His kisses are one of the things I missed the most about him.

Our kiss has become more urgent by the second, both of us wanting to express how much we'd missed the other, how frustrated we'd been by being apart. After a while, his hands start to wander on my body, as if he wants to make sure I'm there, that I'm not a dream; almost as if he wanted to memorize every inch of me.

The sensations are amazing. The slight hum that runs between us slowly grows to an intense electrical buzz. It feels so good. I whimper as Edward's lips leave mine, but it quickly turns into a moan as he starts to trail kisses down my throat and up to the area around my ears. My hands go to his hair of their own accord and begin to scratch and pull, which makes him groan. Things will soon get out of control and I can't let that happen. As much as I like this, nothing more can happen. Not as long as I was in Phil's clutches.

"Edward," I pant.

"Mmm," he responds, as he's busily kissing my neck again.

"Edward, we need to stop."

"I know."

He slows down, and comes back up to my lips. He leaves a few pecks there before he stops altogether. He puts his forehead against mine and sighs.

"Sorry," he says when we are both breathing normally again.

"Don't be," I quickly reassure him. "I really liked it when you kissed me. Things just can't get out of control."

"Yeah." He somehow sounds sad at this fact. My heart leaps with joy that he wants it to get out of control between us.

We remain like that for a while, he lying on top of me, both of us enjoying the moment. After a while we shift around and lay facing each other on the couch. Occasionally we speak softly to each other but mostly we just lay there and relish in the other's presence.

"Hey," he says. I turn my eyes back to focus on his.

"What?"

"Can I… can I take a picture of you? With my phone?" He sounds nervous as he asks and it makes me nervous to answer. I don't know how I should respond.

I must take too long to respond, because he adds, "Don't worry; this picture will be for my own personal use only. I promise."

I nod softly, believing him.

"Okay," I finally answer. He beams at me. I want to make him smile like that all the time.

"Okay, great." He stands up and searches his pockets for his phone.

"Where do you want me?" I ask when he finally finds it.

He sits beside me and holds his phone up several inches away from my face. "It's perfect just like this. Just smile."

I smile the best I can and he snaps the picture. He smiles softly as he watches it appear on the screen before him.

"Is it any good?" I ask.

He nods as he shows me the result. Indeed, even though I look like I could benefit from a few more pounds, it looks decent.

"Thank you," he says, as he gives me a quick kiss.

"You're welcome," I giggle. If things as simple as this were enough to make him happy, I would gladly let him take my picture any time, despite how much I normally hate it.

After he puts his phone away, he pulls me down on him as he lies back down on his back. The position is so comfortable that I fall asleep. A fact that I only notice when I open my eyes later, confused. Edward's voice tells me to wake up. I look up at him.

"Hey sleeping beauty," he says with a crooked smile, "you need to wake up; Rose just came by to say the bar is closing."

"Oh, damn. I'm sorry I fell asleep on you."

"Don't worry about it. You looked like you needed it. And… I may have closed my eyes for a bit too." He admits sheepishly. I grinned at him.

"Okay then."

We're silent for a moment.

"I need to go," he says.

I look away from him; it amazes me how four little words could bring reality back in a heartbeat. "I know."

"Hey," he says, pushing my face up with a finger under my chin, "don't be upset. I'll come back, and this time I won't wait a whole week to do so."

I could only nod; the words catching in my throat. He kisses me softly for a moment before he stands up. I follow suit, then I pull myself into his arms and hold him tightly. He holds me just as tightly.

"I have to go now, love," he says. My heart thrills at his name for me, I love to hear him call me love.

I nod as I give him one last kiss and relish again at the nickname he just gave me. Whether it just slipped out or it was intentional, it leaves me light hearted for the rest of the night.


	10. Forgotten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for the reviews and kudos! But most of all, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy this new chapter.

EPOV

On my way to the apartment, I wonder when would be the best time to go back to see Bella. I think I deserve credit since it has been a week since I saw her last. I debate the merits of either tonight or tomorrow. I finally decide on tomorrow because tonight I am so damn tired, I don't think I'd be great company. Bella deserves my full attention and I just can't give her that tonight. I'd talk to Emmett about it when I get home.

My mother, Esme Cullen, has a heart condition. She needs a transplant. She's been on the waiting list for about three years now. She had been called a few times about a possible match, but every time ended up with a negative result. It's very frustrating, and my mother's condition isn't getting any better. Every day she struggles to do her work. Today's no different, in fact it's worse. She had to be hospitalized. I don't know the whole story, and I'm not sure I want to know. The most important thing is that she's stable, for now, but if we don't find a donor soon…my mind could not conceive the possibility of that not happening and what it would mean.

I'd spent all day at the hospital, sitting with my mother and checking on her condition. Her illness is one of the reasons why I want to specialize in cardiology. I want to be able to help her and others just like her. Another reason why I am pursuing a medical career is my father. His patients absolutely love him; it amazes me every time I go and visit my dad at his office. The patients seem reluctant to leave the office and him, I want that. I hope I can take as good care of my patients as my father does.

I guess I should be thankful that my mom's relapse was the only thing that happened this week, because that combined with the fact I missed Bella like crazy, I would not have been able to handle much more happening.

Bella has become the center of my world. It is almost like basically everything I do is for her. Like I'm trying to lay the groundwork for what I hope would happen soon: the day where I could finally claim her as mine.

I really can't seem to get her out of my mind. She has even started to infiltrate my dreams. At first, the dreams in which she appeared were quite innocent. They were kind of manifestations of things I want to do with her when I take her out for dates, dinner in a nice restaurant, Bella would wear this dress in a shade of blue that I knew would just fit her, a walk on the pier, a picnic somewhere in the city...quite innocent, as I said. However, the more the week went on, the less innocent the dreams became. The dream I had last night was the most intense I've had so far.

I couldn't believe how tired I was after a long day at work. I mean it wasn't really anything out of the ordinary but just seemed to drag on and on. I was certainly thankful to be home, and even more thankful that no one else was home. I flopped down on the bed and just laid there for a few minutes. I wanted to rest before anything else was going to get done.

I startled awake. I wasn't sure how long I had slept but I felt a little better so I decided to go grab a shower and then maybe some dinner.

I stood in the bathroom towelling off as I thought about my day. I could feel the tension coming back so I diverted my thoughts to a less stressful topic. The shower was fantastic, relaxed all of the tired muscles and now I'm ready to grab some dinner. Who knows maybe even go out or something tonight. As soon as my thought drifted towards going out I thought of Bella. I wondered if it would be too much for me to show up again at the club. It probably would be but I didn't give a damn, I needed to see her. I hung up the towel and marched back into my room. Normally I'd get dressed in the bathroom but since no one was home I just opened my door and stepped into my room, naked.

I stopped short when I saw a lump on my bed but under the covers so its identity was hidden. It was definitely too small to be Emmett but I couldn't be sure if it was Jasper or not, it was all curled up into a small ball. I stepped over to the dresser and quietly opened a drawer to at least put on some underwear before I approached the 'lump' in my bed. I needed some barrier between me and them.

Just as I grabbed a pair and lifted a leg to step into my underwear, I heard a small voice call to me…

"Edward?"

It was Bella's voice. I turned and looked back at the bed with the 'lump' as she sat up in my bed, wrapped in my blankets, wearing one of my white button down dress shirts. Her hair was tangled and all over the place, her face was slightly swollen and her lips were the most perfect shade of pink. I wanted to fall into bed with her and do things that were probably illegal in several states. Well, probably not in Alabama but I digress.

"Bella? What the hell…how did you get here baby?" I rushed to the side of the bed and sat down beside her. I smoothed some of her wild hair but left it mostly as is because it turned me on so much to see her so messy. Almost as if she had just had some really good sex. Oh Lord, I said sex and now I was hard as a rock.

"Uhm…well Emmett gave me your address and told me when you would be home. So I came over but you weren't here so I laid down. I'm sorry I didn't mean to fall asleep on you." She sat up a little which caused the gap in the overly large shirt of mine she wore to open even further. I could see all of her breast, except the nipple. It made my mouth water to imagine what it looked like, I'm sure it's the same perfect shade of pink as her lips. God, I wanted to kiss them both, her lips and her nipple.

She looked worried so I moved closer to her and brushed my knuckles across her cheek to assure her that she was more than welcome to come to my house, in my bed, wearing my clothes anytime she wanted. "No, it's fine baby. I love having you here in my house with me. Are you hungry?"

She drew herself up on her knees and walked towards me. She dropped her head and looked up at me through her eyelashes. Just as her hand reached out to touch my chest she purred, "Only for you, handsome."

She pushed me back onto the bed and threw her leg over my hips so she straddled my waist. I was blown away; I have never seen this side of Bella before. She was usually so timid and shy but tonight she was strong, confident, and almost…forceful?

"Bella?" Her fingers came to rest over my lips.

"Shh, let's just see where this leads, okay?" I nodded because her hand was still covering my mouth. She did two things at the same time; she lowered herself down onto my hard cock and created some friction while she pushed one of her fingers into my mouth. The rest of her hand cupped my chin as she slowly slid back and forth across me. I couldn't stop my eyes from rolling back in my head. She felt way too good. In fact so good that I worry about how long I would last if she took this much further.

I had to find a way to distract myself so I flipped her over and decided to spend a little time focusing on her. I reached under her shirt and pulled her panties down. They were the prettiest shade of dark blue, they looked so good against her skin but they looked even better off of her. I dropped them down onto the floor beside me and pulled her legs so that she laid flat out on her back. My hands worked the buttons loose on her shirt and opened it up to reveal her body to me. God she looked so beautiful.

I would like to say that I went the romantic route with her and kissed up her legs and made this grand gesture but nope, didn't happen. I pushed her legs open and immediately dove right into her soaked pussy. She tasted even better than she looked. Made me think of the movie Face Off where Nicolas Cage says, 'I could each a peach for hours.' Well I knew exactly what he was talking about here.

Bella began to squirm and moan, like porn star moan and it spurred me on even further, I slipped a finger inside of her and then another when the moaning slowed down. Before long she was pushing my face harder against her pussy and was coming all over me. I cleaned her and my face as best as I could while she slowly came down from her high. I can't tell you how ready I was to be inside of her. I wanted to share the bliss she just experienced with her.

I climbed back up her body and prepared to slip inside of her. I paused to kiss her mouth and tell her how perfect she was. I wanted her to know, "Bella, baby, you are so beautiful like this. Please." I begged her to be inside of her. I knew that if Emmett had ever heard about this begging he would never let me forget it but I had to be inside of her and it had to be with her permission. Her sweet face nodded at me and just as I pushed inside I felt a hand shaking my shoulder, and Emmett call my name.

What the fuck is Emmett doing in my room while I'm making love to Bella?

He shook a little harder, "Edward, come on man, can you hear me?" I turned to look at him and he wasn't there. When I turned back to apologize to Bella she wasn't there either. Emmett's big hand shook me again and I sat up on the bed. Alone, dressed in my clothes from work and angry as hell.

"Emmett, why the fuck did you wake me up?" I roared at him.

Turns out, Emmett had woken me up because my father had just called from the hospital in Forks. My mother had just been admitted, and it wasn't looking good.

I find it strange to find the living room silent when I enter the apartment. Emmett is usually playing his Xbox when I get home on Fridays. In fact our usual routine is for me to shower and join him in an ass-kicking game of something or other.

I give a gentle rap against Jasper's door, not really expecting him to be home. When he opens the door for me I'm surprised.

"Hey man, what are you doing here?" I ask.

"Nothing to do tonight. Alice had some stuff to finish up for school, and Emmett's out, so I just stayed here," he explains.

"Yeah, about that… Emmett's out? Where's he?" This is very unlike Emmett. Not that he's out but that he's out without me or Jasper.

"No idea." Jasper slinks back to his bed and drops down like he's ready to spend the night just lounging around in his room.

"Okay. Well… I'll be in my room." I'm glad to know that there would be no high energy plans because I need peace and quiet tonight.

"Okay." Jasper focuses on the guitar that sits across his lap as I pull the door shut behind me, he barely gives me a second thought.

I sit down on my bed with my laptop. I really intend to make the most of a quiet night with no Emmett in sight… when my cell phone rings. I check the caller ID and see that it's Emmett calling me.

Speaking of the devil.

"Emmett?" I say when I pick up.

"Um…" a feminine voice says.

"Who is this?" The worst thoughts were going through my mind when a woman's voice came across the line.

Silence.

"Hello?" I ask again, I am afraid that I scared them off and now I might not find out who it is and why she had Emmett's phone.

"Edward?" The timid voice speaks my name.

My eyes grow wide. No, it can't be…

"Bella?"

Silence again.

"Bella, is that you?" I beg every being out there for it to be Bella, I want to hear her sweet voice so badly.

"Y-You remember me?" she asks hesitantly.

"Remember…? Of course I remember you, Bella! What's going on, are you alright?" She had to be kidding me, remember her, well I had news for her she occupied almost every thought I have had since we met.

I hear some sniffling. Uh oh…

"Bella are you okay?" I ask, in a slight panic.

I hear some shuffling in the background and someone else picks up the phone.

"Yo, Edward!" Emmett says.

"Em? What the fuck was that? Where are you?" I need someone to tell me what the hell is going on.

"Um...I'm at the club." Emmett could always be counted on to provide detailed answers.

"WHAT?" I practically scream.

"Ugh, yeah… I couldn't, ugh… stay away." Jasper quietly enters my room as Emmett answers me.

"What's going on?" Jasper asks.

"Apparently, Emmett's back at the club. The one we went to for my birthday." I provide the update for Jasper.

"What? I'm confused…" Jasper looks the part as his face scrunches in an attempt to figure it all out.

"Yeah, well… so am I."

"Hello? I'm still here!" I can hear Emmett say.

"Sorry Emmett, but I'm really confused right now. What's going on? Why was Bella calling me with your phone?"

"Um…well Bella here had some kind of a breakdown when she saw I came to visit Rosalie, but that you hadn't tagged along. She kept repeating you had forgotten about her and stuff like that. We couldn't make her calm down, so I offered to lend her my phone so she could call you."

"Bella had a breakdown? About me not being there?" I repeat, my voice rising with each word. From the corner of my eye, I can see Jasper as he steps closer, as if ready to restrain me.

"Ed, you need to calm down." Emmett tries his best to soothe me, in the only way he could.

"Calm down? You want me… Emmett! How can I calm down? She's freaking out, I need to do something!" I take a deep breath. "Okay… let me talk to her."

"Edward, I'm not sure…" Emmett stutters.

"Emmett," I cut him off, "Give Bella the fucking phone. I need to talk to her."

"Alright, alright, geeze…"

I hear some shuffling again, and then Bella's voice comes across the line again.

"Edward?"

"Bella, are you alright? Is there anything I can do?"

Silence. I sigh.

"Bella, you need to tell me if there is something I can do to help you, please. I'm feeling helpless here." I plead with her.

"Can you… can you come over?" Her soft sweet voice could convince me to do anything she asked.

"Bella, are you sure it's a good idea? Maybe we could meet somewhere else? In a café, maybe?"

"No, you need to come here. I can't leave the club."

Strange… well, maybe her shift will not be over for another several hours. I look at the clock on my bedside table: 10:37 PM.

"Edward?" Bella pleads again.

"Yes, Bella, I'm still here. Listen, I need you to relax for me, okay? I'll be there as fast as I can."

"Okay." Her voice sounds much calmer after my assurance that I would be there.

"I'll see you soon Bella, hold tight."

"See you soon." As soon as her voice disappears, I flip the phone closed and start to get ready.

I sigh and look up, to see Jasper still standing in front of me.

"What's going on?" he asks.

"Well it looks like Bella had a nervous breakdown or something when she saw I wasn't with Emmett." I struggle to make sense of the problem.

"You're kidding." Jasper's easy going attitude perks up, this type of angst puts him on edge, he can sense the troubles other people carry.

"No, not even close to kidding with you, I told you this thing with her is pretty intense. I need to get over there."

"Alright. But you need to calm down. If you get there in this state, you're just going to freak her out more." I step away from him and think it over for a second or two. I take his advice; as usual he was correct with his suggestions.

I need something that would give me just enough time to settle down but not so much that Bella would worry about what was taking me so long, "Okay. I'll take a shower that should calm me down."

He nods as he leaves my room; I follow him and head towards my bathroom.

"Hey, Ed!" I hear Jasper call to me just as I am about to close the door on my way out of the apartment.

"What?" I call back to him.

"Here, take this." He hands me some cash that I quickly count. There must be about a thousand dollars in the wad he handed me.

"What's that for?" I ask.

"Remember where you're going? They won't let you see Bella that easily. Remember, for the staff, you're just a customer. You'll have to pay your way in." He reminds me.

"Oh, you're right. Thanks Jas." I hate it when I'm thrown off my game. The panic and fear I heard in Bella's voice earlier has done exactly that, throw me off my game.

"No problem. See you later." Jasper's smile speaks volumes to me. It says that he wants me to be happy and if Bella makes me happy then he wants it for me.

I wave again before I close the door and fly down the stairs to my car. I make it to the club in record time. I'm lucky that I didn't come across any cops on the way. The closer I get to the club, the more I can feel my connection with Bella get stronger. Intense doesn't even begin to describe this attachment I have with her.

When I enter the club, the auctions are already over, so I need to think of a plan quickly. I sit down at the bar and order something to drink while I think over my options. I am nursing my second drink when I feel someone sit down beside me. When I turn around, I see the blonde girl that Emmett had left with last week, Rosalie, I believe is her name.

"Hello there," she starts the conversation with me. She winks at me, then slides a small piece of paper to me.

"Hello." I pick up the paper and unfold it. Play along, it reads.

"You looking for some fun, cowboy?" She runs her finger down the front of my shirt and smirks at me.

"Sure am, ma'am. Would you happen to know where I can find any?" I lean in a little closer to her and she winks at me again.

"Actually, I do. Come with me." She grabs me by the collar of my shirt and pulls me down the hallway that leads to the private rooms. Once we're out of ear shot, she drops her grip.

"Hi Edward, I'm Rosalie, but apparently you already knew that."

I chuckle. "Yeah. Nice to meet you, again. I just wish it were under different circumstances."

She gives me a sad smile. "Believe me, me too. Alright, Bella's in her room. I'm her best friend and I couldn't get through to her, so I hope you'll have more luck." I can see the care and concern for Bella in Rosalie's eyes.

I nod. "Don't worry. She's in good hands." I try to reassure her that Bella would be safe with me. Something in Rosalie's eyes shows me the deep seated scepticism that I don't think would be alleviated by one action from me or Emmett.

Her words confirm her facial expressions. "Yeah. Believe me, I want to trust you, but you learn to trust no one in this business."

"I understand." I glance down at my shoes and take in what she said. Somehow, this makes an alarm sound in my head, but I just ignore it for now.

"Okay, I'm not going to keep you any longer, Bella's really freaking out in there." She pats my arm and pushes me toward the door to Bella's room. "Good luck," she calls over her shoulder as she pushes open the door that must be her room.

"Thanks."

I walk up to the door and look around to make sure no one sees me then knock softly before I push the door open. What I find on the other side of the door makes me want to punch something hard.


	11. Diamond on a Landmine

Alone at last  
I can't wait 'til we're alone at last  
All I wanted was a second chance, second chance  
To hold you in my arms at last

Forever, Forever, I'll walk a thousand miles  
Just to tell her, to tell her, our love is still alive  
And I'll never, I'll never, I'll never let it die  
Well you better watch your step, she's a diamond on a landmine

Diamond on a Landmine – Billy Talent

-B&E-B&E-B&E-B&E-B&E-B&E-B&E-

BPOV

Tonight isn't going to be a good night; I can feel it as I apply my make-up before my solo. I don't know how my life could get any shittier, but I can still feel that something isn't quite right.

I haven't heard anything from Edward since last Friday, and it has me a bit on edge. Poor Rosalie is victim to my mood swings all week. Though she isn't really better, she misses Emmett like crazy. I know Edward has a life outside of me, we've just met, after all… but still, I can't help but worry that he has forgotten about me. If our connection is as intense for him as it is for me, I've kind of hoped he would have come back already…

A knock at the door pulls me from my thoughts as Laurent pokes his head in.

"You're on in a minute." His words would normally fill me with dread but tonight I need the distraction.

"I'll be right there." I reply with the most amount of respect I can muster in my voice.

He nods and leaves. I take several deep breaths to calm down then make my way backstage. I slip into 'Mary' mode, 'Mary' who is eager to please the customers every night. My music starts, so I pull the curtain aside and step on stage, as I make my way to the pole. I drop down on the pole and I can see Emmett sitting a bit to my right. Hope fills me. If Emmett is there, surely Edward is as well. He has to be, but I can't see him anywhere. Maybe he isn't here yet. Or he just went to use the restroom. I make my way to Emmett, still performing to my song; I ask him where Edward is. At the lack of response, I pull back from him and frown slightly.

"Emmett, where is he?" I ask fiercely in his ear. I didn't want to drag any more attention than I probably already have.

"He's not here. He didn't come with me." I won't lie, Emmett's answer stuns me. The little hope I had disappears. He has forgotten. He's forgotten about me, us. Tears well up in my eyes, but I can't let them fall. Not in front of the public anyway. I quickly finish up my solo and hastily go back to my changing room. I come across Tanya on the way and she starts to say something, but I can't hear her. The pain of Edward's oversight blocks all other thoughts and sounds. I do take the opportunity to shove her out of my way though. I let my anger and aggression take a slight reprieve on her. A few minutes later, Rose comes to tell me the auctions are about to start.

"Could you cover for me?" I ask in obvious despair.

Her eyes widen in fear.

"You're going to get in trouble with Phil." Normally this isn't something that I would ever invite but tonight I just can't seem to care.

"I know Rose, but I don't really care right now. Emmett's here, but Edward isn't with him. He's forgotten about me Rose." I cry.

"Oh shit… Look, I really need to go, but we'll talk about this later." I don't blame Rose when she leaves me; I know that she has to go. This isn't a matter of choice for her; she has to go to cover for me.

I just nod as she leaves. A while later, my door flies open as Phil enters. I close my eyes because I know what is coming.

"What the hell is this, 'Mary is not available tonight?'" He asks loudly as he grabs my arm roughly.

"I don't feel well." I mumble.

"WHAT?" He shouts.

"I don't feel well. " I repeat a bit louder.

"What do you mean, you don't feel well? You're supposed to be out there, no matter what!" I feel his spittle hit my face as he leans in to yell at me louder, like that would make me change my mind about things.

"I know." I whisper at him.

"What the fuck are you doing in here then?" His face clearly shows his confusion at my understanding of the rules and yet my ability to break them anyway.

"I think I have the flu." I whisper again, I hope this will make him understand and leave.

It does apparently because he lets go of my arm.

"Okay. I'll let it slide. THIS TIME." He punctuates his generous gift with a wave of his finger in my face. "This is the first and only time. Understood?"

I nod quickly and without another word, he storms out. I sigh in relief. This small concession doesn't make up for the anxiety I'm still feeling at Edward's absence. I am so confused. Why isn't he here? Why didn't he come with Emmett? He couldn't have forgotten about us… our connection. I hear someone come into the room.

"Well this is a first." I hear Tanya say. I remain silent, not in the mood to deal with her. She clears her throat when I don't answer. I look up at her, knowing that if I don't it will just make this situation harder to get out of, especially after I pushed her earlier tonight.

"This is a first." She repeats.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, having no choice, so I respond. "What is?"

"You missed the auction because you're sick. You never miss them. Never. You starting to think you're too good for us?" She sneers.

I was just about to reply when Rose comes in.

"Fuck off Tanya," she says. "We're not in the mood to deal with you right now."

"Well, well, well, look who's here, Bella's own version of a knight in shining armour. Isn't this nice?" Any beauty she has in her physical being is masked by the inner hate and viciousness she always uses as a shield.

"Didn't you hear what I said, bitch? Fuck off!" Rosalie punctuates her words with a push to Tanya's shoulders.

She looks between the two of us, her suspicion clearly written on her face.

"I'm leaving you wimps alone. But I can assure you, I will find out what's going on here."

She leaves with a huff. When I am sure she is out of ear shot, I let my tears fall.

"Oh, Bella. Come on, Emmett's waiting for us in my room. He'll explain."

"What's there to explain Rose? Edward has forgotten about me. Period."

"No, he hasn't." She tries to explain.

"Yes he has." I counter.

"No."

"Yes."

"Bella, you're acting like a child. Come with me." She offers her hand and I reluctantly take it. When we enter her room, I make a bee line for the couch at the far end of the room, I ignore Emmett as I go. When I sit down, I pull my knees up and circle them with my arms. I feel the couch dip beside me.

"Listen Bella," I hear Emmett say. "I'm really sorry about all of this. There's a huge misunderstanding."

I scoff at him.

"Bella!" Rosalie admonishes. I glare at her in response. "At least listen to what Emmett has to say!"

I huff, but motion for Emmett to continue.

"Bella, Edward isn't here tonight because he doesn't even know I came. If he had known, I can assure you he would have come as well. I acted impulsively."

I ponder over his words for a moment then nod, accepting his explanation. I hear him sigh in relief.

"Would you like to talk to him?" Emmett asks a few minutes later.

I bite down on my lip and nod slowly.

"Okay. Here." He offers his phone. "I pulled up his number for you; you just need to press the green button." His large fingers point to the button I need. I would almost laugh if my heart didn't hurt right now for Edward.

"Thanks." I glance at him through the curtain of hair that separates us.

His voice when he picks up soothes me a little, but it is never enough. That's why I ask him to come over when he asks if there is anything he could do. He suggests we meet somewhere else, but I can't very well tell him the truth, so I just tell him the basics. He needs to think that it's because my shift isn't over or something. I hated lying to him, but I don't really have a choice. I stand up and give Emmett back his phone then make my way to the door.

"What did he say?" Rosalie asks.

"He's coming over. I'll be in my room." If she is saying something, I can't hear her because I am already pulling the door shut.

I don't know how much time has passed, but at some point I hear knocking on my door, then someone enters before I could even bid them to do so. A few seconds later, I feel two familiar hands on my face. I close my eyes and relax into Edward.

"You came," I say in a whisper.

"Of course I came," he replies immediately. "I couldn't leave you to think I had forgotten about you. It broke my heart when you asked if I remembered you."

Tears well up in my eyes again, and this time I let them fall freely. I crawl into Edward's lap and cry, I repeat over and over again how sorry I am. He keeps repeating that it's alright. When I can finally stop crying I wipe the tears away but I make no move to leave the comfort of his embrace. I feel the need to make the most of it while it lasts.

"Not that I don't like holding you like this", he says softly, "but I think we would be more comfortable on the couch."

That's when I notice we are on the floor. I nod and scramble off his lap to give him a chance to move over to the couch and make himself more comfortable. When that is done, he takes my hand and pulls me into his lap again and places a kiss on my temple. I smile and snuggle closer.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asks gently.

I look up at him and smile.

"Yes. Thank you." I hide the smile that threatens the corners of my mouth. I'm afraid that if he sees it then he would think that I no longer need his comfort.

He surprises me when he grins in return. "You're very welcome."

We are silent again for a while, but the silence isn't awkward. It is just nice to be in each other's presence, to have a chance to reconnect.

"Bella," Edward starts after a while, "why did you freak out like this?"

I take a deep breath but keep my head against his chest, not feeling courageous enough to look him in the eyes. "I don't really know. Honestly. I think I was half panicked, half jealous."

"Jealous?" I can hear the surprise in his voice.

"Yeah, of Rose, because Emmett came to see her tonight." I pick at my fingernail and straighten my costume again, anything to not have to look into his face as I speak those words.

"Bella," he says as he makes me look at him, "you know I would never hurt you intentionally, right?"

I can see the truth in his eyes, so I nod.

"Good. Then I want you to promise me that you will never freak out like that again if there is one week where I can't come and see you. Most likely, I will not be able to make it because of circumstances that are out of my control. And since I don't have any way to reach you…"

"Okay, I promise."

"Thank you." He kisses the crown of my head and we are silent again.

"Can you promise me something?" I ask him in return a while later.

"Of course," he replies immediately. "Anything you want."

"Is there any way you can make a schedule? I mean… you could select nights on which you are sure you are available, and those nights you could come and see me."

"Hmm… well, I guess that can be arranged. Let's see…" He reaches into his pockets and takes out his phone, and pulls up the calendar on it. "I'm free on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Is that enough?" he asks.

When he looks back at me, I can see a bit of humour through the seriousness. His eyes are soft, I could get lost in them. My heart warms.

"That's even more than I hoped for," I reply softly.

"Then consider it done. I'll be here on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. But please, once again, don't freak out if I can't make it."

I just nod.

"Isn't there any way to reach you?" he suddenly asks.

I bite down on my bottom lip, I don't know how to get out of this one. The beep that comes from Edward's phone saves me. He navigates through a few menus.

"What's going on?" I ask.

"Oh, nothing. Just my sister. Apparently she has a new favourite place to shop." I must look confused because he continues. "My sister studies fashion, and she absolutely loves to shop. And every time she discovers a new place, she calls it her new favourite place. It's nothing new, trust me."

I laugh.

"Do you like to shop?" he asks.

"Absolutely not!"

He lets out a loud laugh. "Don't ever let Alice hear you say you don't like to shop." He adds with a wink. Damn, he's sexy when he does that…

"What about you?" I ask. "Do you like to shop?"

"It depends on what I'm shopping for."

"Can you elaborate?"

"Well… I don't like to shop for my own clothes. It's a good thing Alice takes care of that part. But I like to shop for entertainment: movies, books, video games. I even look around sometimes for motorcycle gear."

"Motorcycle? You have one?"

"Yes."

"Please tell me it's not a Harley…"

He laughs.

"Not at all. It's a sports bike. A Kawasaki Ninja. Would you like to see it?"

I nod, so he fumbles a bit with his phone once again and comes up with a picture.

"Wow. I like it."

He beams at me.

"I'm glad you like it. I'd like to take you for a ride one of these days."

My eyes widen. "Um, I'm not sure about that…"

"Why not?" He seems genuinely hurt. Damn. "I promise I don't speed… too much."

"Hmm…yeah, okay." I must admit I'm a bit sceptical. Just the idea of riding a motorcycle seems scary to me.

"At least say you will try," Edward says when he senses my hesitance. I just nod, biting down on my bottom lip. He pulls it out with his thumb. "Hey, that's my lip," he says with a wink. Could he be any more sexy? He's making this difficult.

He pressed his lips to mine, and everything disappeared. I couldn't understand this effect he had on me. When he's around, I could forget about everything, even the fact that I'm a prisoner, and that Edward doesn't even know about it yet. I want, above anything, to tell him, to ask him to help me and Rose out, but… if I do, I'm scared I will lose him, one way or another. He will either reject me, or something bad will happen. I can't let that happen. That's why I try to make the most of each moment we have together. Carpe diem, they say. And when I lean down to kiss right now, that would be me doing exactly that.

Just as his hands start to roam though, the door opens and someone storms in. I look up and see it's Phil.

"Well," he says roughly and looking surprised, "glad to see you've taken on a client even if you're sick."

"This one was pretty persistent." I reply.

"I knew you couldn't bear to disappoint your clients. I see you've learned."

"Yes sir."

"Good. Enjoy your time, sir," Phil turns to Edward. "I hope we will see you again."

"Thanks." Is Edward's short reply.

With that, Phil turns around and leaves. I let out a short sigh of relief.

"That was tight," Edward suddenly says.

"Yeah. I don't know what's going on. He has never erupted in a room like that."

Edward doesn't have time to say anything because someone knocks before entering.

"Well, well, look what we've got here," I hear Rose say. I immediately blush, she laughs. "Come on Bella, I've seen you in more compromising positions!"

I blush even more and I hear Edward laugh lightly.

"Alright, I wasn't here to tease you though, although I do enjoy that I can," Rosalie continues. "I'm actually here to warn you, Bella. Since Phil believes you're sick, he will expect you to be in our dressing room, ready to go. The bar is about to close, so I'd hurry back there."

"Actually, you're too late. He just came in."

Rosalie's eyes are as wide as saucers. "Really? Did he give you guys any trouble?"

"No, he was actually surprised. He's assuming I've taken on a client despite being sick."

Rosalie laughs at that. "Alright then, as I said earlier, the bar's about to close, so you better say goodbye, guys. See you later, Edward."

Edward nods at her and she leaves.

"Well I guess that's my cue," Edward says.

I bite down on my bottom lip again. "Yeah, I guess. Promise you'll come back soon?"

"Bella, I think we established earlier that I would come on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Today is Friday, tomorrow is Saturday. So I will come back… tomorrow," he says with a wink.

I laugh lightly. "Okay, sorry. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yes, tomorrow. Have a good night, love. And take care of that nasty cold."

I giggle. "I promise."

He gives me a quick but deep kiss, then leaves. As for me, after relishing in the happiness, I hurriedly make my way back to the dressing room before Phil appears again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for the kudos and comments, you are amazing! Happy Sunday, and Happy Thanksgiving to those living in the US. I will see you all next Sunday with the next chapter :o)


	12. Tell Me Baby

Tell me baby what's your story  
Where you come from  
And where you wanna go this time oh  
Tell me lover are you lonely  
The thing we need is  
Never all that hard to find oh  
Tell me baby what's your story  
Where do you come from  
And where you wanna go this time oh  
You're so lovely are you lonely  
Giving up on the innocence you left behind

Tell me Baby – Red Hot Chili Peppers

Chapter 12 – Tell me Baby

EPOV

Leaving Bella behind was hard, but this time I don't have to wait long before I see her again. I head home that night with my heart light, I'm almost floating I'm so happy. I barely know Bella, yet at the same time I feel like I have always known her. Which is kind of strange, because the more I look at her picture I took the other night, the more I'm sure I have seen her somewhere, I just can't put my finger on where. Maybe I can ask my sister, she has this uncanny ability to remember faces, even after just a quick glimpse at them. An idea suddenly pops into my mind. I'm about to go and see Jasper when he enters my room. I drop my wallet, keys and phone on my bedside table.

"Everything alright?" he asks.

"Yeah, she's fine now. I won't wait a whole week though before I go and see her again." The tension of the entire day finally settling down on me and I feel tired from it all.

He chuckles. "Yeah, I guess that wouldn't leave that good of an impression."

I chuckle too. "I kinda made a schedule with her. I'll go on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays."

"Are you sure you'll be able to make it? What with your mom and all…" He leaves the words hanging in the air, he doesn't want to say what we both know is a possibility. She may get worse and would need more from me if that happens.

"Yeah, I know. But I need a break sometimes. I love my Mom, don't get me wrong, I just need some time away sometimes. It's hard enough as it is. Plus, I need to see her. It's strange, but it's kind of a visceral thing." I knew that I wasn't explaining it correctly because hell to be honest I really didn't know what it was either.

"I know what you mean. So from what I'm gathering, you'll be going back tomorrow night?"

"Yeah. Hey, you and Alice have something planned for dinner tomorrow night?"

"Not that I know of, you'd have to ask her to be sure. Why?" He begins to play with the edging of my bedspread while he asks.

"You up for a group dinner?" I offer.

"Sounds good to me. I'll talk to Alice and let you know." I always wondered how we had become so close when he rarely even speaks more than ten words at a time.

"Great. I'm going to invite Angela and Ben too, if you don't mind."

"Of course not, they're cool." His accent comes out on words like cool, maybe it's the slang that brings it up.

"Nice. Night Jas." I offer as I push him out of my room and down the hallway.

"Night." He chuckles as he leaves.

Angela is my lab partner. She is in pre-med as well, but unlike me, she wants to specialize into paediatrics. She is great with kids, so it just made sense. We have become close again since I have started classes here in Seattle. She and Ben are both from Forks as well, but they aren't part of the people Alice and I hung out with during high school. It's a pity, because they're really a great couple.

-E&B-E&B-E&B-E&B-E&B-E&B-E&B-

BPOV

About an hour after leaving the club, I am lying on the bed Rosalie and I share, waiting for her to be done with her shower. As much as I would like to go to sleep, I can't. My mind is full of thoughts of Edward. As much as I try to convince myself that I need to let him go, to stop things with him as soon as possible before one of us gets hurt, I can't find the strength to do it. The more the time goes by, the more I want to tell Edward the truth. I can't keep living in this nightmare. God, I need to talk to Rose…

"Hey, everything alright?" she asks, coming out of the bathroom.

"Hey, um… not really."

"What's going on? I thought everything went well with Edward?" Her face shows her shock at my apparent off mood.

"Oh, they did, don't get me wrong. It has nothing to do with what happened tonight."

"What is it then?" I pause when I don't know how to answer her. "Bella?" She gently calls again when I don't answer right away.

"I'm not sure. It's just… I may have changed my mind." I reply cryptically.

"About what?" Rose asks when I don't elaborate. I sigh.

"About not telling the guys about us."

"Oh. And what made you change your mind?"

"Everything that happened today. I realized Edward is much more important to me than I thought." I twist the edges of my shirt in my hands to dispel my nervousness, it doesn't seem to really be helping.

"Yeah, I guess I can understand. It's the same way with Emmett and I. The chemistry is intense. Sometimes it's almost too much to bear. I've never felt like this before. What I felt for Royce is nothing compared to what I feel for Emmett. As opposed to Royce, I could actually see myself spending my life with Emmett, with Royce it was just a thing I did until something better came along, I know that now. I think I'm falling in love, Bella. Hard." The sweet smile that shines all over her face shows the depth of her love for Emmett, I have never seen Rosalie look this way. It makes her all the more beautiful.

"I have never felt like this before either. It's strange. Every time I think of Edward, I get these butterflies in my stomach. When I'm with him, it's like the rest of the world disappears, there's only the two of us. When we kiss, sometimes it gets so intense I forget who I am. I think I may be falling in love too, Rose. I hate lying to him. It gets harder every time he asks a question that is very personal. I've been lucky so far, but who knows what will happen next time?" My stomach sinks at the possibility of having to tell Edward my humiliating story but he is the only person that I actually think I can tell.

"I know, I understand. There must be a way to get their help, there has to be. Phil's plan certainly can't be flawless. There must be a way to tell the guys without him knowing."

"We need to tell them Rose, I can't keep lying to them for much longer. It's eating at me."

"I hear you, sister. Let's sleep on it, and we can try to figure out something tomorrow."

"Okay." I feel unbelievably better knowing that Rose is in agreement with me and for a small moment my mind starts to feel the faint flicker of hope. Hope that we might get out of here, hope that I might be able to live a normal life. Hope that what I have with Edward won't be a passing fancy for him, that he might just feel as much for me as I do for him.

We both get under what little covers we have, and after a while, I could hear Rose's breathe even out. On my side, I can't seem to relax enough to fall asleep. The thought of telling Edward and Emmett about our situation runs around in my head, nagging at me. This could end in so many ways. I toss and turn for a while, but finally fall into a restless sleep, concentrating on positive thoughts of Edward.

Since there aren't any windows in this basement, I don't know what time of the day it is when I wake up. Beside me, Rose is still asleep, but that's nothing new. She always sleeps later than me. Lucky her. I don't understand how she could sleep in such an environment. Maybe she's learned to relax with time, ignore enough stuff to empty her mind for a while. I could try that. I know ignoring things isn't the best way, but if it can bring me peace of mind so that I can sleep, I certainly won't say no. I'll have to ask Rose how she does it.

Not able to fall back to sleep, I get out of bed and make my way to the bathroom. On my way out, I notice a pile of clothes on the last step of the stairs. Renee must have done some laundry. Every once in a while we'd find our ratty clothes somewhat clean on the last step of the stairs. I don't know why Renee even bothers. I mean, if she hates me so much, why wash our clothes? And why would Phil let her do it? I decide not to dwell on the subject any longer, it wouldn't solve anything. After dropping Rose's clothes on the bed, I make my way back to the bathroom to "dress", while trying to come up with a way to tell Edward and Emmett about our situation. It couldn't very well be done within the club, but what other choice did we have? We aren't allowed to leave these premises beside when we go to the club to work. Phil certainly makes sure we don't leave his eye sight whenever we do make the short trip to and from our work. I learned that at my own expense.

On one of the first nights I was working at the club, I tried to escape. Just as we were coming out of the back door of the building, I tried to make a run for it without thinking. Next thing I know, I am lying face down on the dirty asphalt, my hands held tightly behind my back by Phil. "You really shouldn't have done that." Phil said menacingly. I could hear Rose calling out from further down the hallway, but she must have been restrained by one of the bouncers.

"Phil, let's go, I'm tired." I could hear Renee say just as Phil was starting to raise the hem of my skirt.

Coincidence? I would never know. But I was certainly thankful for Renee back then.

While I wait for Rosalie to wake up, I try to clean up the bathroom the best I can without cleaning products. Phil had made it clear that nobody would clean it up for us, so if we wanted a clean bathroom, we had to take care of it. It's a good thing we do it regularly, because I don't know in what state it would be in by now. I'd rather not go down that path.

Rose finally wakes up, and after she is dressed, we sit down and try to brainstorm. By the time it is time to leave for the club, we don't have anything concrete, but we do promise each other that we would try to bring it up with our guys at some point in the near future.

As I am getting ready in the dressing room I share with Rose, I can't help but let my mind wander off to Edward, wondering what he is doing at the moment.

-E&B-E&B-E&B-E&B-E&B-E&B-E&B-

EPOV

I am sitting in a Japanese restaurant, trying to have a nice time with my sister and a few friends. Don't get me wrong, I am having fun, but I'm not all there. My mind keeps wandering off to Bella, wondering what she is doing at the moment, if she misses me as much as I do her.

This dinner has a purpose for me, though I'm having a hard time finding the right time to bring up what I want to talk about. Alice is always making sure that conversation is flowing around the table, so it's hard to introduce a new topic. Just as I look at Bella's picture for the umpteenth time to try to find some clarity, my phone is snatched from my hands… by my darling sister. Well I guess I won't have to worry about when to bring it up now.

"Who's that Edward?" Alice asks me curiously.

"Um… that's Bella. You know, the girl from the club I went to on our birthday?" I feel weird bringing her up this way, I'm afraid of the judgment she will receive from my friends just because of her profession.

"Oh! Yes. The Bella. It's strange, I feel like I've seen her somewhere…"

Before I can say anything, she turns to Angela.

"Hey Angela, does she remind you of anyone?"

I look at Angela while she studies the picture and after a moment, her eyes open wide.

"Oh my God," is all she says. Her hands fly up to cover her wide open mouth as she just stares at my phone.

The suspense is about to kill me so I say, "What?" While everyone else just sits silently waiting on Angela.

"Angela? What's going on?" Ben insists when she still hasn't said anything.

She looks up at me in shock, but still says nothing.

"Angela, come on, you're freaking me out!" I all but shout, earning some dirty looks from the people at tables around us.

"Edward, that's… that's Chief Swan's daughter. You know, the one who was kidnapped two years ago."

It suddenly clicks in my head. Chief Swan had put up flyers everywhere in town with Bella's picture, offering a hefty sum to anyone who'd help him find his daughter. I should have remembered.

"Edward, are you alright?" I hear my sister ask. "You look like you're going to be sick."

"I… I'm fine Alice. I'm just in shock." That was actually an understatement. I have inadvertently found Chief Swan's daughter. Talk about luck or fate.

"We need to call the Chief," I hear Alice say. "He needs to know."

"Maybe we should tell him in person?" I offer.

"We can drive out there tomorrow, Edward," Alice argued, "and give him the full details then but it's not too late to at least call him and give him some of the info tonight. Don't you think that Charlie needs to know right now?" Alice's eyes plead with me. Part of me is stuck dumb with fear and the other part is filled with elation.

"No, this isn't something that can be said over the phone, Alice. I know you mean well, after all, he's waited so long, but… he can wait until tomorrow. It's better that we say everything tomorrow in person instead of bits and pieces now, and the rest later. He will go insane."

"He's right, Alice," Jasper says. I can see Angela and Ben agree as well.

Alice sighs in defeat. "Okay. But we need to leave first thing in the morning."

I agree to that. We start to talk about elaborating a plan to help Bella, but nothing really concrete comes out. We're still too much in the dark about what happened that we don't know where to start. I thought about questioning Bella about it later tonight when I'd go and see her, but I rejected the idea the next second. I don't want to get her hopes up if we can't help her in the end. Tonight may be the hardest thing to get through in my whole life so far. I know Bella's secret but I can't tell her I know and ease her mind just yet. Why couldn't I have found this out tomorrow when I didn't have to face her?

A few hours later, I leave the restaurant still confused about this new revelation. This was Bella Swan. The beautiful Bella Swan that I had a crush on for a while in high school. I don't think that me finding her is just luck. I can't help but think it's the work of fate.


	13. No Games

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday! Here is chapter 13 for you. I hope you will enjoy it.

EPOV

Green. Nothing but green surrounded me. All of this green was also leading me to Forks. Forks, where my Bella was from, where my Bella had been taken away from her life, her dreams, her aspirations. I had somehow made it my mission to give all of that back to her, and more. I couldn't leave her in this situation.

If I had approached her in high school, gotten to know her, asked her out, maybe we wouldn't be in this situation…I turned my attention back to the trip to Forks and what needed to be done. There wasn't time for regrets like what could have been right now. My only focus was getting Bella back where she belonged.

In high school, popularity was something that was very important for most people, my sister included. But it wasn't for me. So since she couldn't accept that her brother didn't want to hang out with the popular people, she forced me. Since I didn't know anyone in Forks, I let her at first, but when I laid eyes on Bella, it all changed. When they saw how it was affecting me, my parents had tried many times to talk to Alice and to make sense of the situation. I'd pleaded with Alice to let me do things my own way, but she wouldn't hear of it. Alice was very controlling back then. I ended up surrendering, but I didn't give up hope. So I watched her from afar. Isabella Swan, I'd heard her name from my "friends". Bella for short. She is Chief Swan's daughter. That gave Alice the more reasons to say she was off limits.

"But mom and dad are friends with the Chief!" I told her once.

"I don't care! She's not popular Edward, so she's off limits. Deal with it." She'd responded before walking away.

I gave up entirely after that. Senior year, I'd applied to different schools around the country, I desperately wanted to get away from my sister.

"Edward, stop feeling guilty," I heard Alice tell me from the front seat of my car. "You couldn't possibly have known that she would be kidnapped. You're not responsible for this."

Of course, Alice knew. Jasper had this ability to catch anyone's mood, and he'd probably told Alice how I was feeling. I know she's right, but I can't help but think that if things had been different, this wouldn't have happened.

"Edward, please, you need to move on," Alice spoke again. She sighs when I don't respond. "Edward, Bella wouldn't even blame you. How could she? She didn't even know us back in high school."

"Yeah, and whose fault is that?" I snap.

"I know it's my fault, I don't deny it. Now get out of this funk and cheer up, we're almost there."

I huffed. Easier said than done.

"Do mom and dad know we're in town?" I ask my sister.

"Yes, I called them not long after we left. I told them we would spend the night."

"Okay."

Nobody said anything else the rest of the way to Forks. Jasper was driving my car because I knew I wouldn't have been able to concentrate on the road. My mind was racing with guilt, and thoughts of Bella, what could have been. And now, I am about to face Chief Swan with all of this. I'd have to tell him where I found her. And we'd have to come up with a plan to get Bella out of there, and fast. I couldn't fathom to leave her there any longer.

Emmett was with us too, seeing as he wanted to be part of the plan too; he wanted to spring Rose out of there too when we got Bella. He was being unusually quiet, but I guess I could understand under the current circumstances.

I feel the car pull to a stop and look up: Chief Swan's house. I was happy to bring him relief, but at the same time I am scared; scared of his reaction, scared he will shoot my balls when he comes to know I like Bella as more than a friend. But I couldn't think of that for now. I need to focus on telling him the story and have him help me come up with a plan to get her out.

A tap on the window brings me out of my thoughts.

"Are you coming?" Emmett asks. I nod and step out of the car.

We all walk to the front door and I knock. Chief Swan opens a moment later, surprised.

"Edward, Alice, what are you doing here?" he asks.

"Um, hi Chief," I say. "We, um… can we come in please?"

"Oh, yes, of course," Charlie steps aside and we all go to the living room and sit down.

"We come bearing news," Alice says for me when I can't seem to find the words.

"News? What kind of news?" Chief asks wearily, shifting uncomfortably on the couch.

"There is no easy way to say this," I start after I take moment to put my ideas in order. "So I'll just go with it. I found Bella."

"What?" is the Chief's immediate reaction. I take a deep breath to calm myself down. I had to have expected this kind of reaction from him, it had been almost a year since he had heard of any lead in his search for his daughter. It's all very sudden.

"Chief Swan, I have found your daughter. I have found Bella."

Silence falls upon us for a while, letting the news sink in with the Chief.

"Are you sure?" he asked us and I could tell he was trying not to get his hopes up.

"Yes, Angela confirmed it sir," I answered.

"Angela Weber?" he asked and I nodded my head in agreement.

"Where is she?" he suddenly demands, jumping up from the couch as he begins pacing.

"In Seattle," I answer.

"Is she alright?"

"As good as she could be in her condition, yes." He stops pacing at that and faces me.

"What does that mean?"

"Chief, you better sit back down for this part. It's not... pretty."

He immediately sits back down on the couch, taking my word for it.

"She is working," I start nervously, taking good care of simulating quotation marks with my fingers on the word working, "in a strip club. As a stripper."

"What? No!" Those are the only words I can recognize as the man in front of me literally falls apart. Never would I have thought I would see this in my life. The Chief of Police completely overcome by his emotions. He sinks down in his seat and just let the tears fall. I see Alice stand up and go to him and she tries to comfort him.

I'm not doing a whole lot better. Not only am I feeling conflicting emotions about this big revelation, my heart breaks for the Chief. I can't even begin to imagine what he's going through. After a while, Alice helps him up.

"We're going for a walk, we'll be back later," she tells us as they make their way to the front door.

Emmett, Jasper and I only nod in response. I think we're a bit shocked by the reaction we received from Chief Swan. It's a bit disturbing; but at the same time, it was to be somewhat expected. This isn't just any case of kidnapping for him, it's his own daughter. You can't be expected to keep your game face on when being confronted with your own daughter's disappearance.

"What now?" Emmett asks after we've all been silent for a while.

"I don't know," Jasper replies.

"We've got to come up with a plan. We have to help Bella," I say. "I just don't know where to start. It would be so much easier to just grab her and run, but we must send those responsible for this to jail. We can't allow them to either kidnap other girls or have them come after us. Bella needs safety right away." Emmett and Jasper both nod at my words.

The severity of Bella's situation becomes all too clear while sitting here plotting how to get her to safety. My heart begs whatever deity that will listen that she hasn't suffered, that she wasn't beaten in any way or hurt, God forbid raped while she has been held. I can't imagine how she lives in a world where she knows that she has no control over anything. Now all of our conversations make so much more sense, the clinginess, her need to know that I would be back. I almost break down to know that I might be the one thing that helps her hold on to her sanity.

"You're right, son" I hear the Chief say. I turn around and see him standing in the doorway to the living room, Alice is nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Alice?" Jasper asks.

"In the kitchen, she's making something for lunch," he replies, looking at Jasper, and then he turns back to me. "You're right, Edward. Whoever is behind this needs to be arrested, that's why we need to come up with a plan quickly, and this plan has to be infallible. We could even get some help from the Seattle Police Department; an inspector over there owes me a favour."

"All of this sounds great," Emmett says, "but where do we start? What do we know?"

"We don't know much. Bella hasn't told me anything regarding her having been kidnapped, hell I didn't even know who she was and what happened until Angela told me that she was your daughter and that she had been missing for a few years. Somehow I understand why she didn't tell me, I was only a customer to her the first time I saw her-" I pause and wonder if my slip up will go unnoticed by Charlie. No such luck as he begins to speak immediately.

"A customer," Charlie interrupted me and I could tell her was trying to remain calm. "What did you do to my baby girl? You better not have put your hands on her."

"Calm down Charlie," Alice said as she appeared at his side and put her arm around him. "Jasper bid on her for Edward's birthday. Edward had no part of it."

"Bid on her?" Charlie questioned confused.

"They auction off the girls at the end of the night so that you can spend some time alone with the girls, they treat them like they are a piece of meat," Emmett says disgusted.

"Look that's not important at the moment. Chief, you've got to have some information, right? You must have gathered something from all the leads you got," I asked him hopeful that he'd have something that we could use.

"First, Edward, how many times have I told you to call me Charlie?"

I smile sheepishly. "Countless times, sir, but I can't seem to bring myself to do it, out of respect, I suppose."

He chuckles at my words. "Nice to know there's still some respect for authority in this town. Now, yes, I did gather some information, but not enough to have a solid lead on who could be behind this. I followed every single lead and they all lead nowhere. I strongly suspect Bella's mother to be behind this, but nothing confirms it. I mostly suspect her because she disappeared right after Bella was taken."

"What's the most recent lead you got?" Jasper asks.

"There were reports of her in Seattle but they always led to a dead end. People saw her being forced into the back of a car with a blonde girl. That's basically what all the leads were. Two teenage girls, one brunette, one blonde, being forced into the back of a car."

"A blonde girl?" Jasper asks hopefully.

"It must be Rose, don't you think Emmett," I say, wondering what's the deal with Jasper.

"My girl?" Emmett questioned and I could see him thinking it through, "no way, Rosie is just working there, she isn't being forced, I don't think she is anyway…she didn't say anything about it. Fuck, I will kill them if they have so much as touched a single hair on her head." The range of emotions that he went through in a matter was seconds was understandable, I felt them all when I realized what Bella was living through myself. I patted his back to hopefully show my understanding and calm him down as well. We needed to focus to be able to form a plan. Right now Emmett and I were the best options that Chief had since we had been inside the club several times. We had seen the layout, as well as seen the faces in there. We had to focus.

"What's her name?" Jasper asks Emmett, "her full name?"

"Rosalie, why?" Emmett answers, seemingly confused.

"Lily from that night. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes, taller than me," Jasper muttered to himself. "Why didn't I see it? How could I not have known?"

"Jasper, what's wrong?" Charlie asks, concerned.

"My cousin... She went missing... We thought she might have run away... Her name was Rosalie."

"Son, there could be several Rosalie's, I don't want you getting your hopes up."

"Yeah," I agree, "there's a chance it isn't your cousin."

"No, it has to be. I know it." Jasper's face showed the same mix of hope and despair that the rest of the room wore.

"Jasper?" Emmett asks carefully.

"Wait, you had sex with her," Jasper says, once again hopeful. Emmett looks at him confused. "Did she, umm, did the person you had sex with have a freckle on the inside of her right thigh?"

"Yeah, how did you know?" Emmett questioned somewhat confused and pissed off at Jasper's knowledge of Rosalie's thigh.

"It's her, it's my cousin Rose!" Jasper bypassed the anger that Emmett showed and went immediately to elation at the idea that he too had found his cousin, somewhat safe and sound. As far as we knew they were safe and sound, anyway.

"Son, I don't think you should-" Chief Swan starts, but Jasper cuts him off.

"No, it's her, it just has to be."

"I just don't want you getting your hopes up," the Chief says, and I can tell he speaks from experience, knowing how it felt to be let down time after time.

"I can handle it if it's not true, but it's her, I know it." Jasper's resolve gives us all some hope that we have the right girls and will be able to get them out safely and quickly.

"Okay, well you may be able to help us. Tell me everything you know about your cousin's disappearance."

Apparently the Chief just thought it was better to just start taking down the info and stop trying to tell Jasper to not get his hopes up; it wasn't getting him anywhere anyway.

Chief wrote down all that we could remember, including the name of the club, the layout, the descriptions of the people we saw when we have been there, and any little tiny pieces of info that we could remember at all. Slowly but surely Chief's house became Grand Central Station. Officers from several different agencies showed up and we told and retold our info as often as they would listen. They separated the three of us guys and took our info individually, then they took as much as they could from Charlie about Bella, Renee and anything else he could provide.

At the end of the night a plan had been established to put a girl on the inside posing as a dancer that needed work. She could gather some names and info in order to build a stronger case against the ones that are responsible, so they hoped. Lots of theories were discussed and several plans were laid out. Each one had a back up plan just in case. They wanted to play this correctly so that the girls got out alive. I prayed for that scenario as well. I just wanted to hold Bella in my arms without any time limits or people knocking on the doors telling us what we can and can't do. As the night wears on the activity slows down and almost comes to a stop. Then a few of the officers drift back in and they say a name that makes Charlie go ballistic. Phil Dwyer. He is apparently Renee's new husband, Bella's step dad. He owns the club that Jasper, Emmett and I visited. It takes a long time to calm Charlie down, understandably so. If what these cops are saying is correct then Bella and several other girls are being held by her step-father. She is being pushed out on stage half naked to dance for men so that he can line his pockets, by her step-father. My rage takes over and I slam out of the house and attack a plastic chair sitting on the porch. Charlie follows behind me and throws his arms around me from behind. I immediately freeze and wait for his reaction.

"Hey, listen," he drops his arms from around me and turns me to face him. I wipe the tears off of my face, angry that I lost my temper in front of all of them. "We'll get her back, okay?" He searches my face as I wipe the tears off with the back of my hand. "We will, Edward. You did this okay? You made it possible to get her home to me again, to us. So keep that in mind until this is all over then we will deal with our anger like men. We'll go out on the Rez and shoot something." He patted me on the back and chuckled. I half-heartedly laughed as well but stopped when Chief pulled me in for a hug. A full on hug, not a man hug or half and arm tap thing. A hug. "Thanks, Edward, I owe you so much more than I could ever repay you for this." I noticed a tear in his eye as well, so I looked away from him.

"I think I love her, sir."

He nods. "I had suspicions that you did, but your reaction confirmed it." He is silent for a moment. "You're a good guy Edward. I don't think there is anyone I could see my daughter with other than you. I don't think you need it, but I give you my blessing. Just promise me one thing. Two actually."

"Of course, anything." I'm elated. I didn't think this conversation would happen today, but not only it did, but I get Charlie's blessing to date his daughter. This is more that I hoped for tonight.

"First, please give her the time she needs if she doesn't want to get into the whole relationship thing with you right away."

"You have my word, Chief. I would never force her to do anything she isn't ready to do."

He nods. "Second thing, I need you to promise me you will keep her safe. She's my only daughter, she's been through enough."

"Of course. She will be safe with me."

"Good. Now let's go back inside, there's still some stuff we need to discuss."

I nod and follow him through the front door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Thoughts? Please review!
> 
> PS: I am not sure of the time at which I will be updating next Sunday, as I am going to watch the newest Star Wars! Yay!


	14. The Sound of You and Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 14 for you guys, enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Some day everything ends  
Can we begin  
Finding a way back before we're  
Too late and lost in between  
The truth and the dream  
I've never been more ready to move on

The Sound of You and Me - Yellowcard

Chapter 14 – The Sound of You and Me

BPOV – Monday

Monday night was always the slowest night of the week. I guess I could understand the reason: a new week had started, things had to be settled before people could go out the other nights. Because it was so slow, I had more time to think today and I decided that I would tell Edward about my situation – and Rose's – I would work up the nerve to tell him sometime this week. I can't endure much more of this. I'm ready to move on.

I sit in my make-up chair, my silky hair easily pulled through the hair brush as I gather it up into a ponytail. I contemplate how to broach the subject with Edward. I couldn't very well go and say 'Hey Edward, I was kidnapped two years ago by my step-dad, I need your help'. Yeah, I'm not sure that would go over so well. But then again with a subject like this is there another way other than to just jump right in?

My thoughts drift away from our conversation and just focus on Edward only when Rose enters the room and sits down in her chair that matches my own at her make-up table.

"Apparently there's a new girl," she says.

"A new girl?" I ask, it doesn't seem normal but who the hell has any idea what Phil and Laurent will do. If they think it will make them money they will always go with it.

"Yep. Phil puts her on trial tonight, so he changed the order of our solos. Not that it changed much for us, we're still the two last to go: me, then you." I'm glad to hear that we still have our normal places. I know that we don't want to be replaced in Phil's eyes. That means less privileges and rewards, so I definitely don't want that. We already get so little from him. Rose's voice still talks away in the back ground. "You'll need to hurry up to be ready for the auctions."

"I will hurry, you know me. Do you think that's kinda weird, we haven't had a new girl in a long time." I throw that out there to Rose to get her ideas on the subject.

"I know."

We are both silent for a moment as we finish our make-up, then Rose says: "Maybe we could try to befriend her before Tanya gets to her."

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" I am instantly afraid to trust someone new, especially with our secret.

"She has access to the outside, Bella. Maybe she could help us out."

"But what about Edward and Emmett?" I don't want to sink my trust in anyone else; Edward is the only option for me. I don't want to stray from our already established plan.

"We need a back-up plan, in case they run away screaming after we tell them about our situation. I don't think they will, but we never know. It's better to be safe than sorry." I could see the logic in her ideas. Of course we need a back-up plan, why didn't I think of this?

"Okay. Let's try to talk to her tonight. What's her name?"

"Carmen," a new voice replies just as Rosalie is about to speak. We both turn to the door. A girl with dark skin and dark hair stands in the opening with a bag in her hand. "Hey, Mr. Dwyer said I could share your dressing room."

For once, Phil makes things easy for us without even knowing it.

"Yeah, sure," I reply to the new girl. "Just try to find some space on the counter."

"Thanks." She steps further in the room and makes her way to the bench behind us to pull off her shoes. "So what are your names? Nobody gave me a tour or anything, so…" she trails off.

"I'm Rosalie," my best friend replies, "and that's Bella."

"Nice to meet you both, have you worked here for long?" She continues to prepare herself for work so she misses the look that I shoot to Rose.

On a silent agreement, we decide to tell her the basics for now. We need to see if she could be trusted before we drop the bomb.

"I've been here for three years," Rosalie says, "and Bella, two."

"Wow." Carmen seems surprised. "Are you here for a specific reason?"

"The pay is good," I reply quickly. We need to turn this back on her. She has asked too many questions already. "What about you? Do you have a specific reason to come and work here?"

"Well, I need a lot of money quickly. Besides selling drugs, this was the next best thing, and it's legal, as opposed to selling drugs." Legal? I'm not so sure… but hey, I can't really do much about it right now.

"You're right. It's probably better this way."

We don't say much more before the solos start. Since she's first to go, she has to hurry up and prepare. Later that night, I'm the first to get back to the dressing room since my auction client is already gone. There is still a few hours left before the club closes. Talk about a slow night. I have a feeling we won't be able to shower tonight…

"Whew," Carmen says as she comes into the room. She sits down in Rose's chair and unpins her hair, "I hope it's not always this slow!"

I laugh a little. "No, it's not always this slow. Only Mondays are slow, but this is the first time I have seen the place so empty. I promise the other nights are a lot more eventful."

"Okay, good." I could see her reflection from the mirror. She takes me in cautiously as she removes he make-up. I decide that I better start the questions so that I could lead them down the path I want them to go.

"So where did you work before you came here?" I figured I would kill two birds with one stone, direct the questions as well as a good time to get to know her.

"I mostly did odd jobs here and there. I even walked dogs. But you know, if it helps to pay the bills…" She shrugs. I wish I understood what she is talking about but with my experience I could only guess. I have no real knowledge since Phil destroyed that for me when he brought me here.

"Yeah." I reply and hope that I sound knowledgeable about it all.

We fall silent again as we remove our make-up.

"So where are you from?" I ask when I stand to remove my corset.

"What is this? An interrogation?" Carmen says. I worry that I pushed it too far but then I hear her laughter so I know she's joking with me.

"Ha, no, I promise. I just want to get to know you."

"Okay, okay. Sorry. I'm from San Diego. I've travelled around a little, but I've been in Seattle for a few years now."

"Do you have any family?" Rosalie joins us again, as I ask.

"What are you girls doing?" She asks.

"Just talking, Rose," I reply, "I'm trying to get to know our new colleague."

"Oh! Don't let me stop you then."

"My parents are still in San Diego, but my brother is around here somewhere in the state of Washington. He didn't leave an address, so I don't know where he is."

"Are you guys on bad terms?"

"No, we just lost contact at some point."

"Oh, okay."

I keep the questions flowing for her for a while until we three end up at a table in the bar area. James and Victoria aren't in the room, so Laurent joins us.

"Hello girls," he says.

"Hi Laurent," Rosalie and I greet him. "Carmen, this is Laurent. He is our host during the evening. I know you saw him onstage, but since nobody gave you a tour or introduced you to anyone…" I continue.

"Thanks, Bella. Nice to meet you Laurent." Carmen says.

"Same here. Are you from Seattle?" He seems a little too interested, if you ask me.

"Not originally." She replies vaguely.

Just as Carmen replies, Tanya and Irina walk by us, closely followed by Jessica, on their way out of the club.

"Say, I'm beat, are you two ready to leave? I'll walk out with you both, if that's okay?" Carmen asks.

"Some girls have to stay and wait for Phil to finish up." Rosalie answers.

"Why?" I tense as Carmen asks. I wait for Laurent to get angry or something. I know it would come.

"Because they owe the boss and they can't leave until they pay him off. Why?" Laurent replies too easily, like it was rehearsed or something and I have to say, it even sounded believable. I want to scream at the absurdity of the whole situation. Like a good girl, I keep quiet though. I know better.

"Oh, okay. I just want to make sure I wasn't missing out on any high roller after hours activities, that's all. So does that mean I can leave?" She uses her fingers to mark the high roller with air quotes as she speaks. Her purse is slung over her shoulder and she stands behind the chair she was occupying. All real casually like she's unaffected by the answers to activities that went on around here.

"Yes," Laurent replies.

"Okay then." She slides her chair under the bar table and turns to leave. "Good night everyone, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night!" Rosalie, Laurent and I reply.

"She asked a lot of questions." Laurent says suspiciously, his eyes glazed over as he gently swirls the bourbon in his glass, once Carmen is out the door.

"She had good reasons, you know," I reply immediately, "nobody gave her a tour of the place. She has a right to know how things work."

"As long as she doesn't ask more questions about you or why you are always the only ones left to wait for Phil, we should be alright." He smiles a greasy smile for us as he stands. "I wouldn't like to be in your place if Phil came to know you spoke to her about your situation." His gaze meets briefly with mine as well as Rose's before he walks off and makes his way upstairs where Phil's office is situated.

"We need to find a way to tell her," Rosalie says once Laurent is out of earshot.

"I know." I reply, as I nod my head.

The next night, Edward keeps good on his promise and comes back, and of course, Emmett is with him. Rosalie hasn't told me if he had made any kind of commitment to her, but if he hadn't been interested in her at all, he wouldn't have come with Edward, of that I'm sure.

The knowledge that I would see Edward a few nights every week makes this situation a bit more bearable. He wins me at the auction again (big sigh of relief), but this time it's not for such an outrageous amount like last week. I feel bad that he has to spend so much money just to see me. I just don't know how to make it stop without risking all of us.

The evening goes without a hitch, well mostly… Edward acts a little strange. I wonder if he's bored? Is he tired that I won't go out on a date with him? He doesn't talk as much as he usually does. The other times he came, he would ask all kinds of questions to try to get to know me and such. Tonight, not so much. I'm the one doing all the talking, and even then… I don't get much from him. I try to ask him more complicated questions where he would have to elaborate, but he always finds a way to give a short answer.

"Are you alright?" I ask at some point.

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't know, you're just… you don't say much."

"I know, I'm sorry." At least he has the decency to look sheepish. "I just have a lot on my mind right now."

"Oh. You know you can talk to me, right?"

"I know. I just need to sort it out before I talk to anyone."

"Okay. I understand. But promise me you'll tell me when you're ready?" I know my answer sounds desperate but I'm determined to do whatever it takes to keep Edward with me. I couldn't lose him, it would kill me.

"Of course. You'll be the first to know." He promises me with a smile, it's a little encouragement but not enough. I had seen a real smile from him. A real smile takes my breath away and makes me feel light headed from the sheer beauty of it. It takes over his whole face and lightly wrinkles his eyes. This smile only touches his mouth, none of the other tell tale spots across his face.

EPOV

Whew, that was a close call. Good thing I was able to avoid the real reason why I have a lot on my mind. It kills me that I know she's being held here against her will and I can't say anything to her. Chief Swan told me I have to try to act normal. That is certainly easier said than done, believe me. And Emmett is so bad at keeping secrets, I'd bet my trust fund that he will slip up before the night is over. Then we'll have to speed up the process, and things wouldn't go as planned.

Chief Swan wants to get the girls out on Friday. So that gives me three days to find a way to make her tell me about her abduction. I have a microphone hidden on me so that everything could be recorded; I just hoped she wouldn't find it.

I mean, it's right beneath my shirt. If she puts her hand under my shirt and touches my skin at all, she will find it for sure. I have to keep the making out to a minimum even though I want nothing more than to kiss her senseless right now.

God, I can't keep thinking like this. I have to keep my mind out of the gutter for at least a few hours.

Hello, I'm a guy. Good luck with that.

Okay, let's try to concentrate. I need to find a different approach with her, maybe I can make her say things without her really knowing, perhaps…

"So Bella, when are we going to go out on a date? I'm dying to take you out…" She blushes. She's so beautiful… Not helping, Edward.

"I… I don't know. I've told you many times before, I'm very busy. I'm here every night of the week, I never get time off."

"And what about a lunch date? Surely that can be arranged, you only work at night." I could see her hesitate. She scrambles to find a credible story.

Gotcha, love. You won't have to lie for much longer.

"I can't, I sort of have a day job as well." She doesn't look me in the eye when she answers me. Even if I don't really know the answer I would certainly know that this is a lie.

"Sort of?" I ask for more from her. I want her to trust me for two reasons, I want her out but the other part of me wants her to actually trust me enough to divulge a secret as all encompassing as the one she holds.

"Um, yeah… I clean up the bar during the day. There's no escaping it." I can see her discomfort, the war she wages inside of her own head. I just want to pull her to me and assure her that she can trust me but I can't. I have to wait for her to say it without provocation from me. It has to be all from her, according to Charlie.

"They didn't hire a janitor for that?" I pretend to be shocked but it is really just to get her to say more.

"Umm, no… I mean, yes, but he was fired two weeks ago, and they still haven't found a replacement. I offered to do it until they find someone, I need the extra money." My heart breaks a little more with each word she says.

"Alright, then. If you ever have some time off, let me know." I sigh and show a small amount of my frustration. The funny thing is that I really feel the emotion. It just isn't for the reason she thinks it is for. I want her trust more than anything. Okay not more than anything but more than most things.

"Okay, I will." Her face falls and she looks off toward the floor. Poor Bella, if only I could say something… but I promised Chief Swan to keep my mouth shut. I better not even try to hint at something; especially since he is listening to this as well. Otherwise I'll be in big trouble, his words exactly. I believed him.

"Bella, it's getting late," I say after I take a quick a look at my watch. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go. I have class early in the morning."

"Oh, alright," she replies, still looking down at her lap. She has not looked back up after her last comment. I have to do something; I have to make her see that I would never leave her. How do I make her believe that I would not abandon her so that no one else that listened in would understand what I said in reality? My brain searches for the right words. I get down on my knees in front of her and make her look at me. I have to direct her with my hand under her chin but she does eventually turn toward me.

"I wish I could take you with me right now." I'm certain that this comment will earn me a slap on the back of my head later, but I don't give a damn. Bella's too important to me and she has to know how conflicted I am so that she feels better about things. "Then do it," she replies, which catches me completely off guard.

BPOV

I can see that I have surprised him with my comment, that wasn't really my intention. The words flew out of my mouth before I knew it.

"I… can't. Not tonight. But soon, okay? I promise."

I can only nod as disappointment fills me. He's abandoning me, once again. He would leave without me by his side once again. I worry that this is too good to be true, and that I have scared him away.

"Hey," he says, grabbing my chin again to make me look at him, "I'll see you on Friday, okay?"

I nod again; I still have no words so I just use my nod as his answer. He leans in and kisses me softly. I kiss him back, while I try to hold on to the last shred of hope that remains in my heart. He leaves another kiss on my forehead, and then he walks out the door. Hopefully, not out of my life.

I go through my end of night ritual in a haze, the motions are robotic, nothing more. Finally when Rosalie is out of the shower, back in our basement, that's when I finally come out of my haze.

"Are you okay?" she asks as she sits down beside me.

"Honestly, I'm not sure."

"Why?"

"Well… Edward acted kind of strange tonight."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, it was like… we didn't talk much tonight. But that's not what was unusual. The unusual part was that there was some kind of awkwardness, a tension in the air. He wasn't the Edward that came the other times. He was distant."

"You know, I'm glad we talked about this, because it was basically the same with Emmett. But as opposed to you, Emmett did everything he could to stop any conversation. The second we were inside my room, he started to kiss me. I couldn't say I complained too much because he's an amazing kisser –" I giggle at that, "but we usually talk more in between the kissing."

"Do you think there is something behind this?"

"I honestly don't know."

"Do you think they're tired of us? Tired of not being able to date us properly and have a real relationship?" These questions have eaten at me ever since Edward left earlier tonight. "Have we scared them off?"

"Oh, Bella…" Rose says when she engulfs me in a hug. "I hope not. But this breaks down any doubt we have about telling them. We have to do it. On Friday. We can't wait any longer."

"I know."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Please review!
> 
> Please note that there will not be an update next Sunday, as I will most likely still be out of town. Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it, and to everyone: enjoy this time with your loved ones. And Happy New Year, as I may wait until after the new year for the next update.


	15. Let Me Take You There

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year all! Here is chapter 15, I hope you like it.

We can get away to a better place if you let me take you there  
We can go right now cause every second counts  
Girl just let me take you there  
Take you there

Let Me Take You There – Plain White T's

B&E&B&E&B&E&B&E&B&E

BPOV

Friday night. Another week has gone by. The days keep changing, the outside world keeps changing, but I'm not. Not moving forward, still stuck at the same place where I've been for a little over two years now. Even though this particularly rough patch I find myself in tonight, I can't help but feel some kind of hope. A hope that hasn't been there before, like something big is going to happen, maybe even…tonight. As quickly as it came, the feeling is gone to be replaced by the depression I was previously in.

I try to brush everything aside as I am preparing for yet another night of selling myself to a crowd of horny men. Hopefully, Edward will be there to make it easier to go through the night.

Just as I am pulling on my first outfit of the night, Carmen runs in, obviously late. All that runs through my mind is, good thing it's the first time, but then again, it's her first week. We never know how Phil will react if he catches someone arriving late.

"Do you think Mr. Dwyer saw me?" she asks, out of breath.

"I really hope not," I reply. I wouldn't want to be at the receiving end of Phil's tirade for something as simple as being late.

"You better hurry, the solos start in less than thirty minutes, and Laurent will want you ready and backstage five minutes before he starts." Rose adds.

She nods quickly and takes my place at the make-up counter.

"Hey, are you girls doing anything later?" Carmen asks as she is applying some mascara.

Rose and I look at each other, wondering where this is going.

"No, why?" my best friend answers.

"Well, I thought we could go out. You know, go dance, have a few drinks, to let off some steam."

"Um…" I hesitate; I don't know what to reply. Would Phil let us go? I guess we could find some way to get him to agree. It would seem suspicious if he didn't let us go. I think that alone would convince him. God knows he doesn't want people to get suspicious about mine and Rosalie's situation. "Why not! I think that would do us some good. What do you say Rose?"

"Yeah, why not," she answers wearily, eyeing me curiously.

'Later', I mouth to her. She nods and goes back to her make-up.

"Hey, Carmen, do you mind if we invite some people?" I ask a bit later, an idea suddenly forming in my mind.

"Of course not! The more the merrier! Okay, I have to go. I'll see you later!" With that, she runs off to make her way to the stage.

"Do you really think we'll convince Phil to let us go?" Rose asks as soon as Carmen is out of earshot.

"We just need to tell him that Carmen could get suspicious if he won't let us go. You know how he doesn't want anyone to get suspicious." I answer as if it were the simplest solution in the world.

She thinks it over for a moment and nods. "Yeah, I guess that could work. Why did you ask her if we could invite some people?"

"Let's invite Edward and Emmett. It's probably not the best setting, but we'll be able to tell them our stories without fearing that Phil will overhear us. Plus, it will make them happy; we'll be doing something outside of the club with them." My mind says that the whole plan is so simple that it just has to work, but my heart is still screaming at me for even trying something so stupid. I am so scared that the least little thing will go wrong and we will get caught, then we'll have to suffer the consequences.

She laughs a little at that. "Yeah, you're right. Damn, you're a genius tonight."

"Well, we still need to get the idea past Phil," I reply, blushing. I've never done well with compliments.

Later that night, I am alone with Edward once again. It was a bit of a struggle to win me at the auction once again, but he pulled through. And I was damn glad for it. I don't think I would have been able to handle spending this night away from him.

We are spooning on the couch in my room in the back of the club, just enjoying each other's presence. Once again tonight, Edward is not very talkative. He's barely even moving, like he's thinking so hard he can't move or he'll lose focus. After a while I get fed up and just try to strike up conversation. I start with asinine things, I try to make him tell me about the few days we spent apart, but it's not enough to get his undivided attention. I turn around in his arms as an idea suddenly strikes me, confident this will get his attention.

"Hey Edward," I start, playing with the collar of his shirt.

"What?" he replies distractedly.

"What are you doing later tonight?" At my question, his gaze turns to me, searching my face.

EPOV

What is she getting at?

"You mean, once I'll leave here?" She bites down on her bottom lip and nods. "Well, I guess I'll be going back to my place… Why?"

"What if I told you I could go out?" my eyebrows shoot up at this idea. Go out? Would he let her go out?

"What do you mean?" I ask hesitantly, my mind is already begging for it to be true, this would answer all of our prayers.

"Well, the new girl working here, Carmen," My mind suddenly understands, Leah. She must have found a way to get the girls out of here for the bust, "she invited Rosalie and me to go out with her later, after we're finished here."

Pure genius, Leah. I'll owe her so much after all of this is over.

"Really?"

"Yeah. We haven't made a final decision, but I think we'll go. It would be nice to get out of this club and let go of some of the stress." I can imagine, in more ways than she will ever know exactly what she means. "And I was wondering…if you would like to join us?"

HELL YES! "Absolutely!" She absolutely beams at my answer. She's so beautiful… and starting tonight, if she wants to of course, she'll be all mine. This night just keeps getting better and better! If Chief Swan can arrest her kidnapper and his accomplices, it'll be perfect! At that thought, I lean in and kiss her. Things heat up a little and her hands start moving on my chest.

Damn, she can't find the microphone… think fast!

Just as one of her hands gets dangerously close to the strap holding the microphone, I grab it and slowly pull it up so it's in my hair. I love her hands in my hair anyway, so it's a win-win situation.

Slow down, tiger. Things will probably have to slow down once she's out, she probably won't be ready to jump head first into a relationship with you.

Hey, let me enjoy the moment. We'll think about that when the time comes, I scream back to my subconscious for its rude reminder of what may be truth once Bella gets out of here.

"So what would you like to do later?" I ask Bella once our kiss has slowed down significantly.

"Umm…" she seems a bit dazed. Two thumbs up, Cullen. "Carmen was talking about having a few drinks and dancing earlier."

"Okay, sounds good. Did she have a place in mind?"

"She didn't say. I'll ask her and have her call you?"

"Sure. But do you have my number?" She blushes as she shakes her head no. I laugh a little. "That's alright, here." I stand up and fish around in my pockets until I find a five dollar bill and a pen. I quickly write down my cell phone number and swiftly slide it into her top. She looks up at me playfully scandalised. I grin at her and kiss her quickly. She goes to slap my arm but I'm faster than her. I grab her hand and pull her against me. We're about to kiss again when someone knocks on the door before they come in. I recognize the scantily dressed girl as Leah.

"Hey, you two," she says.

"Hey, Carmen," Bella replies, trying to pull away from me, but I don't let her. "What's going on?"

"Well, we're about to close. I wanted to come by and tell you myself. Laurent didn't seem in such a good mood…"

"Ah, thanks. Nobody wants to be near when Laurent's in a foul mood."

"Ha ha, no. And who's your friend?" I try to play it cool and act like we are just now meeting.

"That's Edward. Edward, meet Carmen. I told you about her earlier." Bella gestures back and forth between us. I hold out my hand to shake hands with Carmen.

"Nice to meet you, Edward." She takes my hand and shakes it as well.

"Same here."

"Hey," Bella suddenly says, "do you know where we're going later?"

"I don't really know yet. I'm leaning towards the Trinity. Why?" Carmen appears to think over her decision and then nods as she finishes saying it out loud.

"Well, Edward here will meet us there, right?" Bella asks as she looks down at me. I just nod at her. It's better this way anyway, I need to call Chief Swan.

"Okay," Carmen says, "no problem. It'll be great!"

With that, she exits the room and Bella and I are once again alone.

"Well, I guess that was my cue." I say.

"Yeah. But I'll see you soon, right?" Bella appears sad all of the sudden and I can't blame her at all, it is only the knowledge that I will see her very soon that keeps me from wearing an expression to match hers.

"Absolutely. I'll see you at the club." I lean in and kiss her quickly before I stand up.

"Oh, wait!" she suddenly says.

"What?"

"Here." She pulls out the bill I gave her earlier and goes to give it back.

"Nah, keep it. You might need the number," I wink at her. She giggles and puts in back in her top. Damn, how I want to touch her…

Focus, Edward. Chief Swan may have given you his blessing; it doesn't give you the right to have these kinds of thoughts when she's still a captive.

Ugh, ok. I have to leave before I do something stupid.

"Okay love, I'll go now. I'll see you at Trinity later." I say as I pull her close to me again and she puts her hands on my chest.

"Okay."

I lean down and kiss her softly, then wink at her again and leave.

BPOV

Is this fate finally playing in my favour? God, I hope so… I need to talk to Edward at the club. Maybe it's not the best place to do this, but I need to jump at the chance.

I hurry out of my room and to the changing room, finding both Rose and Carmen there.

"Rose, we need to go talk to Phil." I say as I am pulling off my shoes.

"Yeah. Let's change and then go." I nod and move on to removing my make-up.

"Why do you have to talk to Mr. Dwyer?" Carmen suddenly asks. I freeze. Damn, I didn't think she'd ask.

"He always wants to know where we're going after we are finished here. Since we're the customers' favourites, I guess he doesn't want anything bad to happen to us. It'd be bad for business or something." God bless Rose for her quick thinking. Carmen seems to buy that because she doesn't say anything else.

Shortly after, Rosalie and I make our way to Phil's office on the second floor of the building. The tension is building between us as we really have no idea how he will react to our request. Once we're standing outside his door, it takes me a few seconds before I gather up the courage to knock.

"Come in!" I hear faintly through the door. I take a deep breath and turn the knob. Imagine the surprise on Phil's face when he sees us, but he quickly replaces the surprise by indifference.

"What do you want?"

I take a deep breath; trying to calm down the fear I can feel building up inside me. "We have something to ask you." I say as calmly as I can.

"Oh really?" he sneers. "What makes you think I would agree to anything you'd ask of me?"

"You don't want people to get suspicious about us." Rosalie quickly replies. That seems to surprise him a little.

"Why would I fear that people get suspicious about you?"

"Because Carmen, the new girl, invited us to go to a club with her tonight. She's actually waiting for us right now." I explain.

"Is she now?" He lays his pen down on the desk and sits back in his chair. I can't tell exactly what this move means but I silently pray that it bodes well for us.

"Oh, she is. You can check for yourself if you want." He went to the window that allowed him to see the whole bar downstairs. Carmen was sitting at one of the tables alone, tapping her fingers, obviously bored. "We already told her we would be going. You wouldn't want her to ask questions if we went back down and told her we can't go, right? You know she tends to ask a lot of questions." I add.

He doesn't reply right away. I take that as a good sign as he seems to be pondering over my statement.

"Okay," he finally says, "you can go. But on one condition. James and Victoria go with you. They drive you there, and they will bring you back to the house. When they tell you it's time to go, you follow them, there is no trying to stay longer. If you so much as open your mouth to protest, James has the authorization to hit you until you obey. Both of you. Do you agree?"

Rose and I both nod quickly.

"Good. Now go. I wouldn't want for Carmen to ask too many questions." He leers at me.

With that, we hurry downstairs and sit with Carmen.

"So?" she simply asks.

"Everything's fine." I say vaguely.

"Great!"

"Now that that's settled," Rosalie starts, "do you, um…"

"Do I what?" Carmen asks when Rosalie doesn't continue.

"Do you have any clothes for us? We don't have anything that would be club worthy…" That's the understatement of the year.

"Oh! Of course! I saw these the other day and thought of you two." Carmen replies, pulling up a bag and sets it on the table.

A little later, we all come out of the changing room ready to leave.

"Are you sure you don't have any sneakers I could borrow?" I ask for the billionth time. Carmen put me in high heels. God knows I have enough of working in those, why should I wear them to go out as well?

"Sorry Bella, I don't have anything else." I groan softly but stop short when I see James and Victoria in the bar area, waiting for us.

"Oh, are they coming too?" Carmen asks, pointing at them.

"Yeah. We'll be driving with them." I answer.

"Alright. I'll see you there, then. I'll wait for you at the door."

"Okay."

With that, she makes her way outside. James and Victoria stand up from the table they were sitting at and turn to us.

"Let's go." Is all James says before he walks to the door, Victoria following closely behind. We know better than to make them wait, so we follow them silently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Please review! :o)


	16. Let Me Take You There, part 2

EPOV

I've been sitting at the bar at Trinity for about an hour now, and there is still no sign of Bella or Rosalie. Did something happen? Has Carmen…I mean Leah's cover been blown? God I hope not… and she seems too good at her job to be discovered. Or maybe it was just me being too eager… Either way, I'm bored. Emmett is out on the dance floor and Jasper and my sister still haven't arrived.

"Hey big brother!" I suddenly hear Alice say beside me.

"Hey Alice, took you long enough! You said you would be here," I look dramatically at my watch, "half an hour ago!"

"Edward, that's what you call being fashionably late."

"Alice, I don't care about fashion tonight. You know we're on a mission, it's very important!"

"Calm down, Edward! I know! She's not here yet anyway!"

"Yeah, I know. I wonder what's taking them so long?"

"Don't worry, she'll be here soon."

"In five minutes, to be exact," a new voice says. I turn around and see Leah standing there.

"Leah! What's going on? Did something happen?" I fire at her, panicked.

"Calm down Romeo, they're fine. They had to ask permission from Dwyer to go out and it took longer than expected. They had to ride with his right hand man and his girlfriend, it was Dwyer's condition in order for them to get his permission. They should be in any minute now, they were following me." Although her words reassure me, I won't relax until I see her for myself.

And just as the thought goes through my head, I see her appear through the crowd, Rosalie right behind her. I immediately flag Emmett over and go to her. She looks absolutely stunning in her black top and white ripped jeans.

"Bella," is all I can manage to say while enveloping her in my arms.

She hugs me back. "Edward. Hi." I pull back and smile down at her.

"Come on," I say, taking her hand and pulling her with me, "there are some people I would like you to meet." We walk to the bar and stop in front of Alice and Jasper.

"Bella," I start while pulling her in front of me and back into my body, "this is my twin sister Alice, and her boyfriend Jasper, but I think you have already met him."

"Hi," she replies shyly, waving lightly. Jasper waves back and Alice attacks her with a hug.

"Bella! We're going to be great friends!" Bella's eyes widens as Alice throws her arms around her. She was certainly not used to this kind of immediate acceptance but it might be a bit of over kill for her at this moment.

"Okay Alice, I think Bella needs to breathe now," I say while trying to push Alice off of Bella.

"Oh, sorry! Who's your friend, Bella?" Alice asks as Rose steps into our small circle. I appreciate Alice for inviting her in with us as I know how important Rosalie is to Bella, and Bella is certainly important to me.

"Oh, everyone meet Rosalie. Rosalie, this is Alice and Jasper," I reply instead of Bella, who seems grateful. "Emmett, will you please let her go for just a second?" The big goof hasn't let go of her ever since she has arrived. I understand he's gotten protective of her, but that's a bit excessive.

"You're one to talk, Eddie!" I blush a little at that, running a hand through my hair nervously. Okay, so maybe I shouldn't have talked… I hear Bella giggle. I smile down at her embarrassingly.

"Hey, no need to be embarrassed," she says while leaning up to speak directly into my ear. "I love it when you hold me. I don't want you to let go."

Jesus fucking Christ. If she keeps doing that, I won't be able to do my job tonight. "You really shouldn't have said that," I say back, right into her ear so that no one hears. I feel her shiver, and I don't think it's from the cold.

"Okay you two, cut it out!" I hear my sister say. "Let's go grab a table upstairs!"

We all nod and follow her. Our group is content to sit and talk for a while, but I can feel Bella getting restless.

"Are you alright?" I ask her discreetly. She only nods, looking down at the dance floor. That gives me an idea. "Would you like to dance?"

"I don't really like to dance." She replies. That baffles me a little, but the same time, I'm not really surprised. She's not doing her current job willingly, after all.

"Come on, I'll show you." I see her bite down on her bottom lip, and then she nods. I give her a triumphant smile and take her hand, standing up. "We're going down!" I call to the others.

We get on the dance floor and start dancing. She struggles a bit at the start, so I help her out, and soon we're dancing together. Emmett and Rosalie join us, and Emmett starts to goof around. Sometimes he's a complete idiot, but tonight, I think it's pretty smart of him, like he's trying to put the girls at ease with us so they'll be comfortable enough to talk to us later. Bella joins him at some point, and Rosalie and I do our share of goofing around as well. We're having a blast.

Later, we're back to dancing in couples, and the songs are getting hotter. At first I'm not sure about what to do and start to pull Bella back to our table, but she resists and pulls me back to her and continues to dance. Okay, I wasn't expecting that. I don't have to be asked twice. I pull her to me and we dance tight together, almost grinding on each other. We sometimes exchange a few kisses, either on the lips or I kiss down her throat to her collarbones. She tastes delicious, a mix of sweat and her natural fragrance. I'm totally under her spell.

Through the haze of lust and sensations, I hear Muse's Undisclosed Desires start. I hope this will lead me in the direction I want this night to take, so I start singing the lyrics at Bella's ear.

I know you've suffered,  
But I don't want you to hide,  
It's cold and loveless,  
I won't let you be denied

I feel her tense up against me, but she keeps moving. She becomes less coordinated, so I try to make her relax.

Soothing,  
I'll make you feel pure,  
Trust me,  
You can be sure

I rub my hands up and down her arms then put them on her hips, trying to make her follow my movements.

With this song, I try to convey to her how much she means to me, but also that tonight, right now, I'm here for her, to help her, to listen to her. Hopefully, she'll understand the underlying message in my actions.

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart,  
I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask,  
I want to exorcise the demons from your past,  
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

My hands start to roam her body a little, I can't help myself. She's so enticing. I wrap my arms around her stomach and put my nose in her hair, registering the perfume that is so uniquely her.

You trick your lovers,  
That you're wicked and divine,  
You may be a sinner,  
But your innocence is mine

I feel her tense up again, but she relaxes immediately after. She might think she doesn't have any innocence left, but to me, she'll always have this air of innocence around her, and I hope she'll let me have it.

Please me,  
Show me how it's done,  
Tease me,  
You are the one

I'm not 100% sure about this, but I can say that I've never felt anything like what I am currently feeling for Bella Swan. I can see myself far in the future with her. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, I know, but I can't help it.

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart,  
I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask,  
I want to exorcise the demons from your past,  
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

I'd give her the world if I could.

Please me,  
Show me how it's done,  
Trust me,  
You are the one

I want to reconcile the violence in your heart,  
I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask,  
I want to exorcise the demons from your past,  
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart

I'll be everything she wants me to be, if she'll let me.

Too soon the song is over and I'm left feeling a bit awkward as Bella doesn't move in my embrace for a while. I guess the fact that she hasn't pushed me away is a good sign. She finally turns around to face me and I can see her frown. She's having an internal battle. After what seems like an eternity, she looks up at me and puts her hands on my chest. I slowly lean down to rest my forehead against her, but she surprises me and kisses me softly. Our kiss quickly builds and I can feel her desperation, like she's scared of something. I slow our kiss down and lean down to speak into her ear.

"Are you alright? Did I do something wrong?" I ask, worried I went too far with the song. I feel her shake her head and she pulls away a little, looking up at me.

"Help me." The magic words. I give her another soft kiss before I grab her hand and pull her back upstairs to our booth. This isn't the best setting for this kind of talk, but it'll have to do. Upstairs, I see Alice and Jasper are still sitting at our booth, but Emmett and Rosalie are missing. I discreetly ask my sister to go away. Understanding this is the moment, she goes away quickly, Jasper behind her.

"Where are they going?" Bella asks, sitting down beside me. That just won't do.

"They're giving us a moment." I reply, making her sit across my lap. That's for my own personal pleasure, but it's mostly to have her as close as possible to the microphone I have on me again tonight. Chief Swan wants to record Bella's story so that she won't have to testify in court when Phil will have his trial. He doesn't want to put her through that, and neither do I. She's been through enough. "Tell me everything, Bella."

She hesitates for a moment, and then it's like a dam has been broken. She tells me everything. How she was kidnapped the night before the high school graduation ceremony, she tells me about the basement in which Rosalie and she are being held whenever they're not at the club. Everything corresponds to what Chief Swan told me. It is definitely his daughter, there is no doubt anymore. It's time to tell her my side of the story.

"Bella, do you remember me?" I ask her.

"What do you mean? Of course I remember you, you've been coming to the club for a few weeks now."

"No, Bella. Do you remember me...from high school? In Forks? I'm Edward Cullen. Alice is my twin sister."

She's silent for a moment, frowning, as if trying to remember. Then her eyes light up and she looks back up at me.

"I remember. You and Alice were the most popular of the school. You never even paid attention to me." Her eyes drop down to her lap and I swear I can see tears form in the corners.

Shit.

"Bella, please believe me when I tell you that I did pay attention to you, but I will leave this explanation for some other time. We have something more urgent to take care of right now."

She hesitates for a second, then nods.

"Bella, the others and I, we are here to help you to get out of your situation."

Her eyes widen.

"You are?" She asks hopefully.

"Yes. You remember the picture I took of you?"

She nods.

"It was for my own personal reasons," I wink at her. "But it was also because you seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't remember where I could have seen you. You've changed a bit since high school, so I didn't recognize you right away."

"Who recognized me, then?" Her hope seems to grow with each word I say to her.

"Angela. You remember her?"

Her eyes fill with tears and she nods.

"Is she here?" She asks, looking around.

"No. She and Ben are with my parents at the hotel we rented for a few days. Your father is also in town, he's with the Seattle Police Department as we speak, waiting for my call." I smile to let her see that we really are there to help her, to get her out and keep her safe.

"My...my dad is here? In Seattle?" She asks, tears escaping her eyes. I wipe them away, nodding.

"Yes. He's very anxious to see you. He helped us concoct a plan to get you out of there. He's only waiting for me to call him so that the final phase of our operation can be put into action."

She's silent for a moment, just looking at me.

"Is this really happening?" She asks disbelievingly. "This isn't a dream?"

"No, Bella, this is not a dream. We are getting you out tonight."

She jumps at my neck, sobbing lightly. She suddenly pulls away after a moment.

"Rosalie," she says. "We have to get her out too."

"What?" I ask unsure if I heard her correctly.

"Rosalie, she was kidnapped too, from New York City, three years ago, by a guy named Royce King. He lost her in a poker game against Phil. She's a prisoner too. We have to help her out." All I could think of was holy shit, Jasper was right.

"Okay. Emmett will blow a gasket when he hears this…" I reply, trying to think of a way that wouldn't cause him to explode immediately. We didn't need that type of situation on our hands. We need to focus on the girls for right now, the rest we would deal with later.

"When I hear what?" Emmett says, sitting down in front of Bella and I, Rosalie sitting beside him.

"You told him?" Rosalie asks Bella disbelievingly.

Bella just nods.

"Told him what?" Emmett asks again, confused.

I sigh.

"Emmett, I need you to stay calm," I tell him.

"Okay…"

I take a deep breath.

"Emmett, Rosalie... she was kidnapped three years ago, in New York City. Her kidnapper lost her to Phil in a poker game."

Emmett's fist hits the table, and I rub my face with my hands. I knew this would be his reaction, if I have to I can use Rose's safety as a way to calm him down. At least I hope I could, he might be too angry for that to even work.

"Did I hear New York City?" Alice asks, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, Jasper, as usual, was not far behind.

"Um...yeah," is my confused reply.

"What happened there?"

I look at Rosalie, silently asking if she wants to tell the story herself. She nods, taking a deep breath.

"Three years ago, I was kidnapped in New York city by a man named Royce King. He tried to get me to work in strip clubs on the east coast, but it didn't work, so he brought me here on the west coast. He lost me to Phil in a poker game one night."

It is silent around the table for a moment, the others absorbing the news. Emmett hugs Rosalie tightly, whispering something in her ear, to which she nods.

"Rosalie, where did you say you were from again?" Jasper suddenly asks.

"New York City, why?" Rosalie replies, frowning.

"Rosalie Hale, from the Upper East Side?"

Rosalie seems suddenly scared. She just nods.

"Rosalie, I'm your cousin. Jasper Whitlock."

There is an audible gasp coming from everyone around the table.

"Oh my god…" I can hear Bella say from beside me. She looks at me and I give her a crooked smile. She hugs me, I kiss the top of her head. "I'm so happy for her." she adds.

"Me too," I reply.

Meanwhile, Rosalie and Jasper both stand up and are now hugging tightly, Rosalie crying in Jasper's shirt.

"Let me call the family, Rosie," Jasper says. "Let me tell them I found you."

"Not now," Rosalie replies, sniffling. "Let's wait for all of this to be over. I don't want to give them false hope. Things could go wrong tonight."

"Everything will work out, I can feel it!" Alice suddenly pipes in.

She had been silent through all of this. Weird. I look at her questioningly, she just shrugs.

Alright… Time to call Chief Swan and put an end to all of this.


	17. Let Me Take You There, part 3

EPOV

"They're on their way," I say as I am hanging up from my call to Chief Swan.

Bella hugs me again, and I hold her tightly against my chest. I can't quite believe it myself.

"What's going to happen?" Rosalie asks. Emmett is still holding her close, but she has a hand in Jasper's. I'm so happy for both of them that Jasper was right.

"A team is going to Twilight to arrest Phil and Renée, and another is coming here to arrest James and Victoria. James is Phil's accomplice in all of this, but they are also suspects in other kidnapping affairs," Leah says, suddenly appearing.

"Carmen? How do you know all of that?" Bella asks. Leah smiles kindly.

"Bella, my name is not Carmen. I'm Leah Clearwater, I'm an undercover agent working for the Seattle Police Department. I know your father. I infiltrated the club under his instructions to get some information and to eventually get you out of there."

I could see Bella struggling to absorb everything. I pull her closer to me.

"Are you alright?" I ask at her ear so that only she would hear me. It takes her a moment, but she eventually nods. "Are you sure?" She nods again. I kiss her temple and turn back to the others. Everyone is looking at us curiously, waiting for one of us to speak.

"What?" I ask.

"You guys are cute!" my sister says. I can only smile at her comment. Bella stiffens at my side.

I look down at her and see her looking somewhere in front of us, so I try to follow her gaze.

"Bella, what's wrong?" I ask, not understanding what makes her panic. She takes a deep breath.

"There are two people over there, watching us. James and Victoria. We came with them. They threatened us on the way here that if we tried anything, we would regret it. They've seen us all together, I'm sure they are suspicious, especially with you being so affectionate towards me. They've seen you at the club."

Fuck!

Chief Swan better be getting here soon, otherwise this will turn ugly, and our plan will be compromised.

"Is…is my father coming here?" Bella asks hesitantly.

"Yes." I answer her honestly. "I think we need to carry on as if nothing is out of the ordinary, we don't want them to get suspicious. Let's go and dance again." I pull her hand and take her with me to the dance floor. At first Bella is stiff, but after I pull her close and dance with her then she relaxes somewhat. Each time someone walks by us too close she stiffens again. I see the stress of the situation as it plays across her face. I pray that with each second that passes it will be her last one under this kind of stress and agony.

This leads me to think about what our life will be like together if I have any say over it. I picture us living together, her making me breakfast, us rushing off to school and then eating lunch together on campus. I would get home before her so I would start dinner, we would eat together and then clean up as a team. And the best part of all, each and every night I would get to sleep beside her, hold her, kiss her, make love to her.

I want it. I want it all for her as much as I want it for me. She deserves to know a peaceful life, one that is filled with happiness as much as any of the rest of us do. I make a promise to myself to give it to her. To give her everything in life she deserves and more. I can't wait for our forever to begin.

I feel Bella stiffen again but this time, it causes her to stop dancing with me, in fact her whole body is not moving, not even to take in air. I turn us so that I can see what it is that is causing this type of a reaction. I see Chief Swan and several other guys walk in. All in plain clothes but I know without a doubt that they are cops. They make their way to the back of the club where James and Victoria are both involved in their own little dancing that they don't see them until it is too late.

Chief Swan and two of the men sort of surround them and force them back into a dark hallway that leads to the restrooms. Leah is immediately up and on her feet. Rosalie and Emmett are being pulled behind her. I can see her making her way to Bella and me. I pull Bella along and start towards the door of the club.

I knew this was part of the plan, while the officers had James and Victoria distracted they wanted to get the girls out so that no one could say when, and with whom they left with. It made it harder for Phil or whoever to find them, if they disappeared into thin air.

When we reach the safety of the night air, we are rushed into a van. Bella, Rose, Emmett, Alice and Jasper, as well as myself are in and the van takes off before we can even buckle up. I am not very familiar with this part of town but eventually I recognize that we are right around the corner from the hotel where my parents and Angela and Ben are awaiting us.

"Bella, you okay?" I ask as I soothe her hair down and kiss her temples. I'm sure she has to be in shock after all that happened. In a matter of five minutes we had her out of Phil's reach and into a police van. I know that it would take her a while to get her life and thoughts in order but I hope one of her thoughts includes me. I know now that I have to be with her, I can't let her walk away at this point in time. It would be impossible.

When we are at the main entrance of the hotel, we are rushed inside and to a conference room where a few police officers are working over laptops and what seems to be maps. There is also someone sitting at some kind of sound station. The agents on the field must be wearing microphones to keep in contact with the headquarters.

Once inside, one of the officers waves me over. I leave Bella with the lady officer that had welcomed her and make my way to the back of the room.

"Did you get everything?" I ask him while he pulls off the microphone of my chest.

"I think so. There was a lot of background noise what with the music, but we should be able to clean everything up so that we only have Bella's story."

"Good. I don't want for her to have to testify at the trial."

"We will call her in only if it's necessary, you have my word."

I nod at him. "Thank you."

He nods at me and turns to put away the equipment, and I make my way back to Bella. I crouch beside the chair she is sitting in and grab one of her hands.

"Everything alright?" I ask softly.

She nods. "I'm so tired."

I smile softly and lean up to kiss her temple. "We'll go to bed soon, I promise."

She nods again and gives me a timid smile. I wink at her. She blushes and giggles. I smile and kiss her temple again. I'm so happy to see her like this, it seems like she is already relaxing. From the corner of my eye, I see Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice sitting further. Rosalie is laughing at something Emmett says. It seems the tension has already left her too. Jasper then talks to her, and she looks down for a moment, then I see her nod her head slowly. Her cousin must have asked again if she'll let him call their family. It will be an easier transition if she has her family's support, I'm sure.

I turn back to Bella and see her looking somewhere behind me, nervous.

"Bella, what's wrong?"

She doesn't answer, so I turn around. I see my father standing in the doorway to the conference room, along with Angela.

"That's my father, Bella. And I think you know Angela."

She nods, but doesn't move. I smile and stand up, then pull her to her feet.

"Come on, let me introduce you."

She bites her bottom lip nervously as I pull her to my father.

"Hey dad," I say and he nods at me, "dad, this is Isabella Swan. Bella, this is my father, doctor Carlisle Cullen."

I see my dad carefully offering his hand to her to see her reaction. When I see her reach out, I smile, and so does my dad, carefully enveloping her hand in both of his.

"Hello Bella," he says, "it's a pleasure to finally meet you, even though I wish it were under different circumstances. I have heard a lot about you."

She nods at him then immediately looks at me. I blush, scratching the back of my head and giving her a sly smile. I hear my father chuckle.

"Actually Bella, Edward isn't the guilty one here."

"He's not?"

He chuckles again

"No. Actually, it's your father's fault."

Her eyes widen at that, and I believe I see them water up as well. I move to her to gather her in my arms.

"Don't worry, I promise you will see him soon."

I feel her nod against my chest.

"Please forgive me Isabella, I didn't want to-"

"No, no," she cuts him off, "there is nothing to forgive. It's just… everything is still so fresh, I feel like I'm dreaming. I can't believe I'm finally out. And please…call me Bella."

My father smiles kindly at her.

"Of course, I understand. Maybe I should let you get some rest, and we can talk more later. My wife would like very much to meet you as well."

Bella nods at him.

"Thank you."

He gives me a look meaning he wants to talk to me in private. I nod and turn to Bella.

"Hey, go and talk to Angela, I'll be right there, alright?" I tell her, holding her head in my hands.

She nods. I smile, kiss her forehead and push her towards her friend before walking to my father.

"How is she holding up?" he asks. I can see the doctor coming out.

"Amazingly well, honestly. But we'll be more sure tomorrow, once she will have gotten time to sleep on it and all. She's still quite in shock."

He nods.

"I understand."

We are silent for moment, observing the interaction between my Bella and Angela. Bella seems to be crying a little. I smile when I see Angela reach out to hug her. When they pull away, I see Angela say something, then point in my direction.

"Congratulations, son."

That stuns me.

"What? What for?"

"You saved her, Edward. Anyone else could have abandoned her. She must have been feeling like she had been abandoned while she was still a captive, sometimes."

"No dad, anyone else would have done the same thing."

"I don't think so, son. What made you think that there was something wrong with her, huh? Her eyes. Even in a slight inebriated state you noticed there was something wrong. Anyone else in your situation would have taken advantage of her like all of those pigs that frequent these bars on a regular basis and discard her. Why do you think she was captive for so long?"

"Well, I-" I'm speechless.

He laughs lightly, giving me a light slap on the shoulder.

"Good night Edward. I'll see you in the morning." He says, walking away.

"Hey dad?"

He turns back to me in response.

"How's mom?"

His face falls a little.

"She's stable right now, but if we don't find a donor soon, I fear she'll-" he stops there, unable to think of such consequences.

"Everything will work out dad."

He nods.

"Good night son."

"Night dad."

I watch him walk away and get into an elevator, most likely going up to his room, when I feel Bella's warm body against mine. I immediately hug her to me and kiss the top of her head.

"Everything alright?" I ask softly.

She nods.

"Good. Let's get to bed then. Let me just check with the agents if it's alright."

She nods and I make quick work of asking one of the agents in the conference room if we're allowed to leave. As soon as one nods his head, I run back to Bella and we head to the elevators.

"Where am I sleeping?" I hear Bella ask quietly as we are riding up to our floor. I may have forgotten to tell her the plan…

"Um, well… we'll be sharing a room with your father."

"We?" she asks hopefully, looking up at me

I nod. "Did you really think I would leave you alone after all of this?"

She bites on her lower lip, but I can see the hope in her eyes. I pull her to me, a hand on her cheek and the other at the small of her back.

"We're sharing a room with your father, love."

She frowns. Not really the reaction I was expecting. Honestly, I don't really know what I was expecting, but certainly not a frown.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask.

She bites on her lower lip before she answers.

"Well… my father actually lets us sleep together?"

I laugh and hug her. Of all the things she could have been worried about, she worries about her father's reaction.

"Bella, it was his idea."

And to say I was surprised when Chief Swan came to me with the idea is putting it mildly.

"His idea? How come he trusts you so much?"

I may be blushing a little at that. Good thing it's a bit dark in the room.

"Well… first, your father and my parents became close friends after you…um…disappeared. He needed support, and he found it with our family."

I pause, not sure how to say the next part.

"And second?" she prompts.

"And second… I'm not sure how to say this, so I will be completely blunt and honest, ok?" Better that than sugar coating everything, I guess. She nods. "Bella, I like you. I know it is way too soon, but some day, and hopefully not too far in the future," I wink at her, "I would like for you to be my girlfriend. If you would like that too, of course. And the reason why your father trusts me so much is because he knows of my feelings for you, and he knows I am being completely honest. If he hadn't trusted me, he wouldn't have let me go forward with tonight, I'm sure."

She is silent for a while, just looking at me, and that makes me a bit nervous.

"Will you explain how you did notice me when we were in high school?" She suddenly asks. That leaves me somewhat stunned.

"Of course. But not tonight, ok? Let's get you to bed."

She nods hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"I- I don't have anything. No clothes."

I chuckle.

"Don't worry, we thought of that. Alice took the liberty to get you some essentials for a few days."

I offer her my hand and when she grabs it, I guide her further into the room and to a bag sitting on the bed we would be sleeping in.

"In this bag you will find pjs, some clothes, and a toothbrush, shampoo, conditioner, razor… whatever you girls need."

I hear her sniffle and I frown.

"Bella?"

"This is all so surreal," she replies, looking up at me with tears in her eyes. "It's almost too good to be true. I'm scared Phil will appear out of nowhere and bring me back there."

"Oh, Bella," I say, pulling her to me, "I know. I promise you are safe now. I will not let anything happen to you, you have my word. Now, you grab this bag, you go into the bathroom and do… whatever you want to do, then you come back out and we go to bed, alright?"

Her lips lift lightly at the corner as she nods, grabbing the bag and heading to the bathroom. I smile and get prepared for bed myself, pulling on a t-shirt and pyjama bottoms before I pull back the sheets on the bed and sit down, my back to the headboard. I am usually one to sleep only in boxers, and on rare occasions naked, but I don't think it would go over so well with Bella for our "first night" together, let alone Chief Swan.

Bella comes out of the bathroom a little while later, her arms trying unsuccessfully to cover herself. Indeed, she is wearing a tank top and shorts set, made of purple silk.

"Is there something wrong?" I ask, slightly worried.

She doesn't answer; she just shrugs, looks down and tries to cover up some more. She looks uncomfortable, and I would bet a hundred bucks it's because of the pjs, courtesy of my sister. What did she think exactly when she bought this anyway? Of course she looks gorgeous, but now is not the time. With that thought, I went to my own bag to retrieve a sweatshirt.

"Here," I say as I walk to her and offer her the shirt.

"Thanks," she says quietly before taking the sweatshirt and putting it on. When she didn't move after putting on the shirt, I grabbed her hand.

"Come on," I say with a smile, pulling her to the bed.

She lies down under the covers, pulling the comforter up under her chin. She looks cute, I think when she looks up at me.

"Where are you going to sleep?" she asks quietly after a moment of silence.

"I was going to sleep on the couch, why?"

She bites on her lower lip before answering.

"Well, I… I was hoping that you would sleep, um…with me. I feel safe with you."

"You don't need to say more," I say as I cup her cheek with my hand.

She gives me a smile as I make my way around the bed and slip under the covers with her. When I am settled on my back, I don't know what to do with myself, since I don't know what's to do next. Does she want me to hold her? Am I here only to provide a presence in the bed? I don't need to wonder for a long time because after a moment of hesitation, Bella cuddles up to me, her head on my chest. I'm glad she is so comfortable with me after everything that happened to her.

"You go to sleep now, love, I'll be right her when you wake up." I say before I drop a kiss to the top of her head.

"Kay. Good night, Edward."

"Good night Bella."

It doesn't take long before I hear her breath even out. As for me, sleep doesn't come as quickly as I am still running on an adrenaline high.

And it's with my eyes wide open that Chief Swan finds me when he enters the room some time later.

"Hey Edward, can't sleep?" he whispers as he is removing his badge.

"Hello Chief, no. I'm still on an adrenaline rush, so I'm trying to relax."

"I can understand. I'm still on a rush myself. If Leah hadn't kicked me out, I would have spent the whole night on the investigation."

We chuckle lightly, trying not to wake Bella.

"How is she holding up?" he asks, nodding towards his daughter.

"Better than I thought, considering everything. I thought she would have closed off into herself or something, but instead we've been practically attached at the hip. I barely got her to talk to Angela in private earlier. But I'm glad she is seeking support instead of avoiding it. She might recover faster this way."

"Good," he nods, then proceeds to stare at me for a moment. "You love her, don't you?"

I nod hesitantly. He nods in return, not saying anything else for a while.

"Edward?" I hear Bella's voice say.

"Bella? Are you alright?" I ask, alarmed. She nods.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Your father. He just came in."

That wakes her up. She lifts herself up from my chest and quickly looks around. When her eyes fall on her father, she launches herself off our bed and into his arms. I can see the Chief is a bit awkward when Bella lands in his arms, but he quickly recovers and hugs her tight.

"You're alright Bells. Everything's fine." I hear him say.

After a while she pulls away and wipes at her tears.

"Thank you so much dad."

"You have nothing to thank me for. It's a natural thing for a father to help his daughter any way he can."

"But-"

"Bells, stop," he interrupts her. "But if you really want to thank someone, it should be Edward. He was the one to come to me after Angela recognized you on the picture."

She nods. "Are… are we safe now?"

"I'll give you all of the details in the morning, but I can promise you that you and Rosalie are both safe now."

"Okay."

"Okay. You go back to sleep now, and I'll talk to you in the morning."

She nods. "Good night dad."

"Good night Bells. I love you."

She hugs him quickly before she climbs back into bed with me.


	18. What You Want

Do what you what, you want, if you have a dream for better  
Do what you what, you want till you don't want it anymore

(remember who you really are)

Do what you what, you want, your world's closing in on you now

(it isn't over)

Stand and face the unknown

(got to remember who you really are)

What You Want – Evanescence

BPOV

August. It's crazy how fast time passed since Rosalie and I were pulled from Phil's clutches. In the first few days, we were a bit disorientated, but we finally realized that we would wake up in the morning with clothes and a meal waiting for us. Another thing I had to get used to was that there was someone there to make sure I was alright and nothing was missing, because Rose and I were so used to rely only on each other.

While my father was wrapping up the investigation with the SPD, Rose and I stayed over at Edward and Emmett's place. I don't know about Rose, but I ended up feeling right at home there. It was a bit strange at first. Of course, Edward was the perfect gentleman and offered his bed while he'd take the couch. At first, I agreed, albeit reluctantly, but I needed to listen to my head instead of my heart, and take things slow. But then, Edward and Emmett started to argue as to who would sleep on the couch, and who would sleep on the floor. I refused to let either of them sleep on the floor, so I just told Edward that I'd rather we share the same bed. It was the truth anyway, I couldn't stand to be alone, and I selfishly wanted Edward to myself. When we first layed down in his bed, it was a bit awkward. Well... I was a bit awkward. I know we had shared the same bed the previous nights at the hotel, but it wasn't the same. My father was there then and the shock of all that had happened made it so much different than now. Here, no father in sight, or any parental figure for that matter. And the fact that my father trusted Edward enough to let me sleep at his place without parental supervision was a bit odd to me.

Over the course of the few days I spent at Edward's, I also met his mother, Esme. She's everything a mother should be, such a sweet woman. It's so sad to see her so sick, she doesn't deserve this. I learned that she was awaiting a heart transplant. I just hoped that they would find a matching donor soon. I could see how Edward, Alice and Carlisle were struggling.

After the investigation was over, I went back to Forks with my father. It was a bit strange to be back, but also comforting. Nothing had changed in the house, not even my bedroom. Charlie had explained that he had always had hope that he would find me. And even in his darkest days, when he felt like giving up, he couldn't bring himself to change a thing. At that, all I could do was cry.

"Hey, hey, why are you crying?" Charlie asked while holding me against his chest.

"Um, well...it's not just one thing. I'm a bit overwhelmed, to be honest, and what you just said... thank you. That's all I can think to say."

"Bella, you're my daughter. I can't possibly stop loving you at the drop of a hat. Changing anything would have meant that I forgot about you. I would be a more horrible father than I already am if I did that."

"You're not a horrible father." He made a small "pffffed" sound at my comment. "It's true. I'm not blaming you, or anyone for that matter, for what happened. I always held hope that you would find me."

"You may not blame me, but I blame myself. I haven't been able to work the night shifts ever since your... disappearance."

"It may not change anything, but there is nothing to blame yourself for."

"No, it doesn't change anything, but thank you for saying that."

"I love you, dad."

"I love you too, Bells, I love you too."

We're still not so good at expressing ourselves, but Charlie and I have been closer since that night. He is a bit overprotective at times, but I can't certainly blame him.

As for Rosalie, she has been back in New York with Jasper since we left the guys' place. We speak regularly on the phone, and I was happy to learn that her family welcomed her back with open arms. She even started seeing a therapist a few weeks ago.

I'm seriously considering that option myself. As much as I trust everyone, Alice and Edward particularly, I can't bring myself to trust them without letting all of my guards down. Edward has been so patient with me... I don't feel like I deserve him. He tells me time and time again that I do deserve him, but I don't quite believe it yet. That's another reason why I'm considering therapy: I want to get better, feel better about myself so that I can say that I do deserve this relationship with Edward. He's the best thing that has ever happened to me, I don't want to lose him.

After the night I spent at Edward's, I went back to Forks with my father, at least until I knew what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to go to college, I just didn't know when. Since UW most likely hasn't kept my place, I have to do the process all over again, so that would make starting classes only in January. On one side, that would allow me to take my time settling back down into my old/new life, and to give therapy a try without the added stress of school. On the other hand, I don't know what I would do with all of this free time. Maybe I should discuss this with dad... or Edward. Maybe even both. I don't know, I'm so confused... all I really want is to be able to lead a normal life again. I may have thought my life was boring before I was kidnapped, now I would give anything to have that back. But how do I get there?

Sitting on my bed, that's my last thought before I hear a knock on the front door. I look at the time: 10 AM. It's Saturday. That must be Edward, he just got home from Seattle. I quickly get up and down the stairs, and all that without tripping. I should throw a party.

"Hey," I greet enthusiastically after I open the door.

"Hey baby, I missed you," he replies while stepping inside and enveloping me in his arms. There's no place like home...

Wait...what? Ok, let's leave this for another time, we have other pressing matters...

"I missed you too," I say, squeezing him a bit before releasing him and leading him to the couch, where he sits down and pulls me down with my legs over his lap. I grin and lean in for a chaste kiss.

"So how are you? How was your week?" He questions when we pull away.

"I'm fine, I guess. Still having nightmares, but they're less frequent. And my week was, well... boring. I don't really know what to do with myself, honestly. All I've really been doing is a lot of thinking."

"Hmm... well I hope I'm not too boring for you, then." Uncertainty takes over his face and changes his sweet smile.

"Nah, don't worry, you're the highlight of my week, trust me." I pull his chin up so that he looks me in the eye as I say this, I want him to see that I fully believe what I say.

"That's good to know. So what have you been thinking about?" I want to sigh when his expression changes back to his normal sweet smile again.

"Um...therapy, mostly." I say, looking down. When he's silent for a minute, I look back up at him. All I see is a blank expression. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, not at all. I'm actually quite proud of you, to be honest. I didn't think you would come to this conclusion so soon." I frown at that. So soon? What does that even mean?

"Did you think I wouldn't say I need therapy?" I marvel at how easy it is for the happy, calm feelings to be replaced with doubt and fear. Another reason I should go to therapy, I guess.

"No, baby, no. It's just that... I know you're stubborn, and I thought that you would first insist that you can make it on your own. I'm actually happy you mention it now, because I think this could just speed up your recovery."

"Oh... well, of course, I'm not quite comfortable with sharing my personal life with a complete stranger, but at the same time, I need a guide. Someone that will give me tips as to how I can feel better with myself. Let go of this guilt." I take a deep breath because it is a big deal that I am at a point where I can admit this to Edward. "I've realized I can't do this on my own. It terrifies me to go to therapy, but I can't recover on my own either."

"I know I'm repeating myself, but I'm proud of you, love. And I'll be there every step of the way, in any way you need me." He places a small kiss against my temple and I feel so loved and cherished.

"Promise?" The old fear makes me ask.

"I promise." And he sealed his promise with another gentle kiss. Damn, I love him.

Um...love?Already?

Whynot? I answer myself.

Isn't it soon?

Again, I answer myself. I don't know, you tell me. In my opinion, when you know that your partner is the one for you, there is no standard length of time before you can say you love someone. When you feel it, you feel it. Period.

Ok, point taken.

"What is it, love?" I hear Edward ask me at the end of my inner monologue. I blush a little.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"About what?" I blush some more and bite on my lower lip. "Bella, what is it? Should I be worried?"

"No, no. It's just... I was thinking about my feelings for you."

He frowns a little. "Your feelings for me? Baby, are you sure I shouldn't be worried?"

Ok... should I just say it? I guess there isn't really any beating around the bush here...

"Um... yes. I'll just be bold here, okay?" He nods at me and I take a deep breath. "I love you, Edward."

He stops breathing for a moment, just staring at me. When he doesn't reply after being silent for a moment, I look down, tears starting to well up in my eyes. He doesn't feel the same way. He doesn't...

"Bella, look at me," I shake my head no and sniff. "Baby, please," he tries again. When I shake my head no again, he forces my head up with a finger under my chin. "Bella... Isabella Marie Swan, I love you. I've loved you for a very long time now."

The tears that had welled up in my eyes start to fall, but for totally different reason. He loves me.

"Really?" I ask, not sure I heard correctly.

"Yes, really. Bella, as I've said to you a while ago, I did notice you when we were in high school. The first day I saw you, I couldn't look away. You were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen, and you still are. I've loved you since that first day."

With that, I kiss him. It's gentle at first, but it grows passionate quickly. We pull away slowly when we start to lack oxygen, but our foreheads touch.

"Then why didn't you ever approach me?" I ask quietly. He sighs.

"Because of my sister."

"Alice? What does she have to do with this?"

"She has everything to do with this. Alice was a huge control freak back then. And she had to be popular. Everyone had to love her, she had to be in the spotlight all the time. In her eyes, you were a loner. You weren't hanging out with the popular crowd, so you weren't considered a human being. Granted, she's never badmouthed you or anything, but still... that was Alice back then."

"It's weird, I can't reconcile today's Alice to the Alice you are telling me about."

"I know. She has changed a lot since then. Her relationship with Jasper has put a lot of things in perspective. She's still a control freak, but her vision has changed a lot since then. Even more so now since you've come into our lives. You're like a sister to her now, love. Now, she always puts the others before herself. Well... mostly. I tend to think there is always another motive that serves only her behind her actions, but I try not to question it too much."

I giggle at that.

"But how did that affect you?" I ask.

"It affected me in the way that Alice had to have control over my social life as well. I couldn't associate with anyone she didn't approve of. If you weren't Alice-approved, you were out. Period." He looked like he regrets this now. I can't say that I blame him when I look at all the time we wasted that we could have been together.

"Damn."

"Yeah. That period wasn't easy. I wanted to get to know you so much, but I couldn't. I tried to sneak around Alice a few times, but she found out about it every time. So I just stopped after a while. I thought that I could get to know you over the summer before we all left for college. But now that I think about it, it might have been a cruel thing to do. Had you not been kidnapped, we could have gotten to know each other, but then I would have had to leave for Dartmouth, on the east coast."

"Wow. I would have never thought Alice was like that. I knew she was popular in school, but I didn't think it was that extreme. But still... I wish we had known each other in high school. Maybe I wouldn't have been kidnapped."

"Bella, love, we can't go back. Let's not think about the 'what ifs'. Let's just concentrate on the present. Let's concentrate on what we have now. That's the most important thing for now. Regrets won't lead you anywhere." Edward was right, a different path might mean a different ending for us and I certainly didn't want that. So, I nod at his words.

"Come here," he says and I obey, leaning forward so we can hug. After a moment, I reposition myself so that my head is in the crook of his neck and we remain like that for a while in silence, just enjoying each other's presence.

Dad comes home from fishing a little while later and suggests we fry fish for lunch, inviting Edward to join us. Edward leaves as soon as we're done washing the dishes with the promise to call me later. Which he does not fifteen minutes later, inviting dad and I over for dinner, at Carlisle's request.

Dinner that night is filled with fun, and it allows me to ease my mind off of everything, and also to make a decision, which I share with Edward when we are laying on the bed in his bedroom some time after dinner.

"Edward," I call to him quietly.

"Hmm?" he slurs. I giggle.

"Were you asleep?" I ask, looking up at him. He chuckles.

"No, but I'm just so comfortable, I'd lay like this with you all day." I respond by kissing him sweetly. "Did you want to talk about something?"

"Actually, yes."

"Then go on, tell me."

"I think I've made a decision."

"Okay, what about?"

"About the path I want to take, about school and therapy and everything."

"Okay, tell me?" he whispers.

"Well... I was thinking that school would just add to the stress of everything, you know, therapy, and setting back into a routine... so I think I'll go back to school only for the winter semester, in January, and concentrate on therapy for now."

"Do you want to go to therapy here in Forks, or Port Angeles, or Seattle?" He turns his head to look at me as I answer.

"Well... that's the next decision I need to make. What would you do if you were in my place?"

"Hmm... good question. I think I would consult in Seattle. I'd settle there now, get a job, an apartment, and go to therapy. That way, I would already be there for the next semester." He offers his honest opinion and I love the idea but I'm not sure it's for me.

"Okay... I'll be honest, I don't think that would be very good for me. I think I'll keep the idea of going to therapy in Seattle, but I think I'll just stay here in Forks for now. Therapy shouldn't be more than once a week, right?"

"I don't think so, love. And if you want, you can stay at my place when you're in Seattle, you're always welcome."

"Hm, thanks. I think I'll take you up on that offer." He grins at me and leans in for a kiss, then abruptly pulls away. "What?"

"I just had an idea, but I'm not sure how comfortable you'll be with it." He's the unsure one now.

"Tell me, we'll see." I don't know if I should be scared that his idea leaves him uncomfortable or not. I bite my lip in anticipation of his thought.

"Okay, so here it goes... I was thinking that maybe we could, um... move in, um, together, when you come to school in, um... January..."

He's so cute when he stutters. I grin.

"I won't give you a definite answer now, but I must admit that the idea is very appealing." I reply shyly.

"I wasn't expecting an answer right now anyway, love, I promise. I just wanted to get the idea out there, just to tell you that this is an option you can consider." It thrills me that he wants me with him, all the time, living with him.

"I will definitely consider it. Thank you."

"You welcome."

He grins again and leans in again for another kiss. This time it builds up a little and just as he's about to roll us over, my dad yells from downstairs that it's time to go. He groans in my neck and I giggle.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I say in his ear and he nods.

"See you tomorrow, love. I'll call you in the morning." He glances down at me through his thick lashes and I melt at his beautiful eyes as they gaze at me.

"Good night," I whisper.

"Good night. I love you." I beam at him.

"I love you too." I can't get over how good it feels to say it to him.

I kiss him again gently, then he walks me downstairs.


	19. Only Girl (In The World)

Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world  
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love  
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart  
Only girl in the world...  
Like I'm the only one that's in command  
Cuz I'm the only one who understands how to make you feel like a man  
Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world  
Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love  
Like I'm the only one who knows your heart  
Only one...

Only Girl (In the World) - Rihanna

***

BPOV

The first few weeks in therapy are difficult. Speaking about my problems to a complete stranger is hard. Not as much as I thought, but when you don't know where to start, or what exactly the problem is, it's hard to speak at all. But I guess this is what therapy is about. Talk about vicious circle...

However, everything isn't so hard, because I have a wonderful support system including Edward.

At first, I felt a bit awkward with sleeping at Edward's place once a week for therapy, but they all quickly made me feel welcomed. And that made going to therapy easier, because it was one less thing to stress about, so I could really concentrate on dealing with my kidnapping and the consequences... and my mother.

My therapist has asked me several times about my thoughts on my mother being involved in my kidnapping. I still couldn't give an answer, because I really have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, I want to believe she is at the bottom of all this, but on the other hand, I don't want to believe it. For some reason, she stopped Phil. If she hadn't cared about me, even if it was only a small amount, I don't think she would have stopped him. That's where my dilemma lays and I have no idea how to make up my mind.

I finish that thought, sitting on the couch in the living room in Edward's apartment, when the door opens and Edward comes in, his eyes immediately falling on me. The smile that stretches across his face gives me butterflies every time. He's always so happy to see me. That's really good for the ego, I'm telling you. He dumps his bag by the door and makes his way over to me, reaching for me as he sits down.

"Hey love, how did it go today?" He asks after giving me a chaste kiss.

"Not so bad. I wish I weren't so confused..." I reply, looking down at my hands. He chuckles lightly.

"Well, you wouldn't need a shrink if you weren't confused." I giggle, nodding.

"Yeah, I guess. Weird, huh?"

"No. Going to therapy isn't a bad thing, Bella. It may be a taboo thing to talk about in today's society, but there is nothing wrong with that. There is definitely nothing wrong with seeking help after what you've been through."

I choose not to reply, I want to let myself be comforted by his presence instead.

"Hey, did you want to do something tonight?" Edward asks as he walks back into the living room, after he'd gone to put away his work stuff.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well... I haven't taken you out on a date yet... what do you say?"

A date…with Edward…I can feel my lips stretching in a big smile

"Absolutely!"

"Awesome! Go on and get prepared, we'll leave soon." He says, pulling out his cell phone.

"Okay." I get up and make my way inside his bedroom to my suitcase... and stop dead in my track when I realize I don't have anything to wear that would be suitable for a date.

Stupid, Bella.

Hey, how was I to know he'd take me out on a date?

Touché...

Okay. Breathe in. Breathe out. What do I do?

"Are you alright, love?" Edward asks. He must have seen my panicked state. Damn.

"Um...yes, no... I don't know." I reply, biting on my lower lip.

"What's the matter?" He prompts, pulling me close to him.

"I don't have anything to wear that would seem suitable for a date..." I say, blushing slightly. He chuckles lightly.

"Bella... come on, I'd think you were beautiful even if you were wearing a garbage bag." I blush some more. Did I say this guy is wonderful? "Look, if it's that important to you, I think I have an idea..."

He doesn't give me time to say anything before he puts his phone to his ear.

"Hello darling sister... yes, she's here. She had an appointment with her therapist today... She's doing good, as far as I can tell," he winks at me, which cues the blush on my face. "Hey Al, you got some time on your hands, like right now? … Well, I want to take Bella out on a date tonight..."

He pulls the phone away from his ear at that, and I can hear Alice's squeal at the other end of the line, which makes me laugh.

"Al, shut up for a sec... Thank you. Okay, so Bella kinda needs your help to get dressed, she says she doesn't have anything to wear for a date. Would you mind coming over to help her? … Great, see you in a few." He hangs up. "Alice is coming over, she'll help you. Just remember one thing: you don't have to do anything you don't want to do, okay? I know Alice can be pushy sometimes, and she means well, but if you're not comfortable with something, she'll let it go... eventually."

"Okay. Thanks, Edward." I pull up on the tip of my toes and kiss him. It was meant to be chaste, but it quickly builds and I feel Edward's arms tighten around me, and I can't help but circle his neck with mine.

"You're very welcome." Edward murmurs as his lips leave mine and he starts trailing down my jaw and neck; making me pull myself even closer to him. I lose myself in his delicious kisses; I don't even realize he is walking me backwards. Soon enough I feel myself being lowered onto his bed, his lips never leaving my skin. I feel the tiny bursts of fire, electricity, or whatever it is that consumes me across my skin. It's the most delicious feeling.

His wet kisses on my skin make me shiver... in a good way, in a VERY good way. He feels so good, his touch makes me feel so alive. Making his way back to my lips, his hands start wandering on my body. Over my clothes at first, but one of his hands eventually makes its way under my shirt, when I shiver again, he pulls away.

"Is this alright?" He pants, his eyes dark with lust.

I can only nod my head. I'm not out of breath. I'm rather intoxicated, and a bit overwhelmed. All of these sensations are new to me; I'm not sure what to make of them. This onslaught of sensations is disorienting, but at the same time, I don't want any of it to stop.

"You can stop me if I make you feel uncomfortable." Doubt swims in his beautiful eyes.

I nod and he descends his lips to mine again. Our kiss picks up right where it left off and his hand that found its way under my shirt starts moving. At first it stays on the stomach area, as soon as I feel like I'm about to lose my mind from the wonderful sensations, his hand slowly makes its way up. Just as he's about to cup my breast over my bra, he's gone. It takes me a moment to come out of my lust induced haze.

"What's going on?" I ask, slightly out of breath and confused.

"Bella?" I hear Alice call from outside. My eyes widen in shock.

How long has she been here?

"I'll be right there Alice!" I call while looking back at Edward. He seems uncomfortable. "Are you okay?" I ask, standing up and walking to him. He nods slowly; he's obviously the uncomfortable one now.

"Yeah, I just... need to take care of something."

I look at him in confusion, which turns to shock when he grabs my right hand and brings it to his crotch, where I can feel his arousal. My eyes widen in comprehension and I can't help but look at where my hand is.

"See what you're doing to me?" He whispers in my ear. I can only gulp tightly and nod. "We'll definitely resume this later...that is, if you feel up to it." I nod again, my eyes tightly closed. And with those enticing, yet scary as hell words, he's gone. I can hear the bathroom door close and the shower start a few seconds later. I shiver when I realize what he is about to do in there, part of me wants to be in there helping him. The stronger, more dominant part turns to seek out Alice.

Phew. That was intense.

I take a few deep breaths; take a look at myself in the mirror before I make my way back to the living room, where I find Alice sitting on the couch, thumbing through a magazine.

"Hey Alice," I say, sitting on the couch with her. She immediately forgets about the magazine and her attention is all on me. Her eyes shine with a weird glint...

Should I be scared? Good thing Edward gave me some kind of warning...

"Bella! Hi! I have this amazing outfit planned for you! I'm sure you'll love it! Let's get started, we don't have much time." I look at the time on the DVD player and saw it was only 4:30 PM.

Not much time?

"Ali-"

"No, don't say anything," she interrupts me. "Now, go, go! In the shower!"

I decide to just go along with her for now, so I make the motion to zip my lips closed and make my way to the guest bathroom. For a brief second my mind lingers on the Master bathroom and Edward. I think my reaction to his words and touches prove for certain that I am ready to move on with him. I'm ready for whatever he is ready to give me. Coming out of the bathroom, I see Alice sitting on the bed beside a pile of dark clothes. She promptly gets to work, throwing one piece of clothing after another in my direction. I'm hesitant at first because I'm completely naked under the towel, but she doesn't turn around when she starts with the underwear, so I start pulling on everything. I'm amazingly surprised with what she chose: a black, one-sleeved t-shirt and dark, skinny jeans.

"What do you think?" Alice asks when I'm done putting everything on.

"Alice, this is amazing. Where did you get this?"

"Well… I did some shopping for you and Rosalie before we officially met, but Edward forbid me to bring everything at once, so I kept most of the stuff for later. This is part of the purchases I made."

"How did you know my size and taste?" I was blown away by her generosity and concern for me.

"Even though I was against Edward getting to know you in high school, I wasn't blind. I remember your style from back then, and I updated it a little. I know your penchant for comics t-shirts, but I thought that adding a few neutral pieces would be nice. This looks amazing on you." I hug her, I can't help myself.

"Thanks Alice. I'm looking forward to see what else you got. But you have to promise me that you'll let me pay you back." She nods emphatically back at me but her face shows me she really has no intention of allowing the payback to happen. I choose to let it go for now.

"You're welcome. Now, hair and make-up!"

She pushes me down in Edward's desk chair and gets to work. When she's done, my hair is straight and I have some light make-up on.

"All done!" she announces. "Oh, wait! Shoes!" She rummages in her bag and pulls out… ballet flats.

"Alice, are you sure you're not sick?"

"What? Why?" she laughs.

"I thought for sure you would put me in heels." I scratch my head in confusion.

"Well… a little birdie told me you were taking the bike out and heels were prohibited, so… here. Ballet flats are still fashionable." Her sweet smile shows her happiness so I let it all go and take the flats from her.

"Great! My work here is done. Enjoy your night Bella, you deserve it." I blush a little at that comment.

"Thanks Alice. For your help and… everything." I can't help but pull her in for a hug.

"You're welcome. That's what friends are for." She winks and grabs her bag. "Call me later?"

"Definitely. Bye Alice."

She waves and leaves. I take a moment to myself to relax then make my way out of the bedroom. I find Edward sitting in the living room, watching the news.

"Hey," I say to catch his attention. He promptly stands up and walks to me, stopping for a moment as I feel his eyes as they move up and down over my body. "You look beautiful, love," he says, kissing my forehead.

"Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself," I respond shyly. He's wearing a black, white and grey striped polo shirt and dark jeans. He looks totally handsome. I stand on the tips of my toes and kiss his lips. When I try to pull away, he doesn't let me. He instead deepens the kiss. Soon, one of his hands is in my hair, and mine in his. After a while, he slows down then stops, resting his forehead against mine, breathing heavily.

"We really need to get going, otherwise we'll never leave this place, and we have a reservation."

"Okay." I'm almost okay with not leaving, but I don't want to ruin our first date so I agree.

He kisses me chastely one last time then pulls away, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the door. We make our way to the back of the building, where I see his motorcycle parked beside his car. It looks sexier in person.

"Stay here," Edward tells me when we reach the bike. He goes to some kind of shed in the back corner of the parking lot. He comes back out a minute later with two helmets in hand.

"Here," he says as he gives me the one with flower patterns. It has a black background, the designs are white and there's a bit of pink here and there.

"Whose is this?"

"It's yours."

"What? You bought this for me, why?"

"Bella, I'm planning on keeping you around for a long time so you'll need it."

"I know, but…"

"No but's. You deserve to be spoiled. Please take it without fighting me."

It takes me a moment, but I finally agree. I'm still adjusting to all of this. I'm not used to the lavish gifts and attention, that Edward and his family makes sure I see on a regular basis. I'm almost afraid to get used to it, what if it disappears and I'm left with nothing, how will I cope then? I push my fear aside and look back at Edward's sincere face. "Okay."

He leans down to kiss me quickly then takes my helmet back.

"Do you know how it works?" I shake my head no. "Okay, it's pretty simple. First, detach these straps here," he says as he shows me under the helmet. "You need to hold them apart while you pull the helmet on." He does as he says then lowers it down on my head. He continues to speak, but I can't hear him through the helmet.

"I can't hear you!" I yell. He laughs then pulls the visor up.

"Sorry. Once the helmet is on, you attach the straps under your chin, and you're ready to go."

I give him two thumbs up and he laughs again before he pulls his own helmet on and straddles the bike. Pushing back the stand, he backs out from the parking space and powers up the engine. I step closer to get on behind him, but the seat is a bit too high for me. Seeming to sense my hesitation, Edward extends a hand to help me up. I grab it eagerly and swing my leg over. Once I'm set, Edward quickly maneuvers out of the parking lot and onto the road.

At first, I hang tightly to him, but I soon find some comfort and ease my hold a little. My hands come to rest flat against his chest, but as we are speeding down on the I-5, one of my hands begins to wander a little on his chest. He quickly grabs it and laces our fingers for a moment before returning his hand to the grips. Soon after our hand play, he exits the highway and heads west on Admiral Street.

When he has to stop at the light, he grabs my hand again and laces our fingers again until the light turns back to green. Strangely, I feel like he is suddenly going faster, like he's in a hurry. As a matter of fact, it's no more than 5 minutes later that we are pulling into a parking space in front of a grey building housing what seems to be a small restaurant, La Rustica.

He gives my thigh a little tap to tell me we've arrived. I watch as he smoothly lifts his leg and steps away from the bike. He removes his helmet and extends his hand to help me. As soon as my helmet is off, he leans in for a passionate kiss. It's so powerful that I lose my footing and moan. He quickly grabs me and pulls me into him, his arms tight around my torso. My arms respond by circling his neck and our kiss becomes even deeper. Too soon, he pulls away and rests his forehead against mine, breathless.

"You're going to be the death of me," he suddenly says.

"What?" I reply, giggling.

"You, Miss Swan, are dangerous." His raised eyebrow challenges me to defend myself, so I do.

"What did I do?" I fake innocence as I ask.

"You think it's wise to stroke my chest like you did while I'm driving?" I blush slightly, not necessarily at the words he spoke but at the tone in which he spoke them.

"I couldn't help it," I say, still blushing, but feeling bold. I put my hands on his chest and stroke it again, looking up to him and biting down on my lip. He groans and pulls me closer. Embarrassingly, my stomach suddenly makes itself known by growling loudly. The building sexual tension is cut off by my body's demands and Edward's laughter.

"Okay, let's get you fed, love. We'll pick this up later," he promises. He gives me a quick kiss then pulls me in the direction of La Rustica.

From the outside, the restaurant looks like it has seen better days, but once inside, I'm immediately enveloped by the warmth of the setting. I pull myself closer to Edward and he kisses my forehead as we wait for someone to come and greet us. Soon, an older man comes and takes us to a table on the little patio outside. Our seats have an incredible view of Puget Sound.

I couldn't have asked for anything better for a first date.

Soon enough, we're talking quietly around a glass of wine, exchanging light kisses, touches and looks that are full of promises throughout dinner. When dessert comes-a piece of tiramisu, one fork- we sit closer, feeding each other. By the time we're to the last bite, we're so close that Edward's thigh is between mine. I take the fork and scoop up the remaining desert and bring it to his lips. Just as the fork leaves his lips, I quickly lean in to kiss him, forcing my tongue inside his mouth to have a taste of the cake. His moan bounces around my brain and makes me feel like a seductress. When we pull apart, his eyes remain closed for a moment, like he is concentrating very hard. I smile in victory, discovering this seems to be as much of a turn on for him as it is for me.

"Let's get out of here," he declares when he finally opens his eyes again. His eyes are a darker shade of green. He quickly flags the waiter down for the check, handing him his credit card immediately. As soon as the waiter returns with his slip, he quickly signs it and swiftly pulls a very giggly me out of the restaurant. When we're standing beside the bike, he gives me a quick, but sensual kiss that leaves me breathless.

"You're proud of yourself, aren't you?" he whispers in my ear. I can't do anything but nod, and he chuckles. "Yeah, I thought so. Well the night is not over yet, love, so be prepared." He gives me another kiss full of promises and hands me my helmet. He hurries in pulling his on and starting the bike. When my body is tucked safely behind his, he speeds away from the restaurant parking lot.

As short as the trip back is- I'm sure he broke a few speed limits- I have time to realize I'm ready. I'm so ready to give myself completely over to him. I'm so in love with him, I sometimes feel like my heart will explode from everything he makes me feel. I feel safe with him. A feeling I have felt from the very start, when he first came into my private room at the club. I realize that I'd go through it all over again because it is what brought Edward into my life.

Once back at the apartment, I can feel a change in the air; it's electrified. The desire I felt lingering throughout our date suddenly intensifies. I think Edward can feel it too, because he suddenly pulls me against him and kisses me. It starts slow, but it soon grows passionate and our hands start wandering the other's body. All at once Edward's lips leave mine, I want to whimper at the loss, but before I can I feel his kisses down my jaw and neck. The whimper turns into a moan. I attempt to pull myself closer to him, as if that were even possible.

Through my lust induced haze, I hear some movement from somewhere in the apartment.

"Edward...oh god...Edward..."

"What?" He mumbles without stopping.

"Edward, I think there's someone else in here."

He stops abruptly and listens. We can hear some movement again. Without saying a word, he grabs my hand and pulls me into his bedroom. Closing the door behind us, he picks up right where he left off. His hands wander again, caressing my arms, moving down to my hips and my ass. His hands squeeze and play with the flesh of ass, this time I can't hold back the moan. One of his hands moves up to my upper back while the other remains on my lower back. He uses my body as leverage to pull me closer.

My body naturally follows as he walks me backwards; I take advantage of his distraction and start pulling his polo shirt out of his pants. As soon as my knees hit the side of the bed, I feel myself being lowered on his mattress. I push my hands under his shirt to touch his torso, feeling all of the muscles of his toned pecs and abs. Needing to feel more skin, I quickly pull his polo up, and he pulls away from me long enough to allow me to remove the shirt completely. As soon as it's gone, his lips are back on mine and I circle my arms around to his back to pull him down, to encourage him to allow more weight to settle on me. He complies. Our kisses grow more frantic. The next thing I know, my shirt is off and he is trailing kisses down to the swell of my breasts, and then jumps directly to my stomach.

God, I love him so much…

I quickly pull him back up to my face, kissing him with more passion than ever before, if that's even possible, and I start working on his belt buckle. He pulls his hips away once. I think nothing of it, thinking it's just a reflex movement, but when he does it again on the second time I try to unbuckle it, I don't let go, and he puts a hand on mine to stop me.

"Bella, no... I don't want to… not like this," he, says, out of breath.

He doesn't want me. Realizing this, I push him away from me and try to get away from him, but he's faster and pushes me back down on the mattress. His weight immediately settles on me to hold me in place as he begins to speak again.

"Bella, I think you misunderstood me."

"Misunderstood you? Edward, you just said you didn't want to do it. That you don't want to have sex with me. What else is there to understand? You don't want me like that, I get it. What I don't understand is why you played with me like this for so long. Was I just a game to you? Was all of this..." I can't continue because he's kissing me. I try to fight him, but it's useless. The more he insists, the less I fight and without much of a fight I'm melting in his arms again. When I start kissing him back, he pulls away.

"Listen to me. Please believe me when I say that I do want you. I don't want to just have sex with you. I want to make love to you, Bella. But I don't want to do it right now; I don't want to do it here when I know there is a big chance Jasper or Emmett will walk in on us. I want our first time to be only between us. I want to make it special."

"It will be special, Edward, because I will be with you." He gives me a searing kiss at that; so much it makes my toes curl.

"Thank you for saying that, but do you understand me now?" I nod. "Good. Now go and get ready for bed."

"Okay." I pull him down to me for a kiss then get up and make my way to the bathroom. Once in there, I take a moment to regroup. I'm ashamed of myself for reacting the way I just did, for jumping to conclusions. I take a few deep breaths.

I must take longer than anticipated because I soon hear a knock on the door and Edward say: "Bella, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be right out!" He doesn't say anything else and I hear him walk away.

I make quick work of washing my face and changing into that pj set Alice had gotten for me when they rescued me from Phil's clutches, and then I make my way back to Edward's bedroom. I find him sitting up in bed, his back to the headboard, clad only in boxers. God, he's gorgeous. I drop my clothes on top of my bag and make my way to him. As soon as I'm close enough, he grabs me and pulls me so that I'm straddling his thighs.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asks lowly.

"Yes, I promise. I'm sorry for earlier, I overreacted."

"It's okay. I can understand. But I can promise you one thing: it will happen soon."

I smile shyly and lean in to kiss him lightly, but he has other ideas. Just as I'm pulling away, I feel one of his hands in my hair, pulling me back to his lips. At first, it's a slow kiss, as if he's trying to reassure me of his feelings, but it soon picks up and I can feel the tension from earlier come back full force. His fingers are caressing my scalp deliciously slowly and I can feel his other hands rubbing up and down my back. After each passage, it goes lower and lower, and I soon find myself involuntarily grinding down on his crotch.

"I want you so much, Bella," he whispers between kisses. I whimper at his words. "You're so beautiful, smart, sexy… I love you. I love you, Bella."

I pause for a moment at his words. I can feel tears coming up. A few must escape because the hand that was in my hair is suddenly on my cheek, his thumb wiping my tears.

"Bella?" He encourages, though I hear worry in his voice. I give him a quick but passionate kiss. When I pull away, his eyes are dark with desire.

"I love you too, Edward. I love you so much that sometimes I feel like my heart will explode."

The next thing I know, I'm lying on my back and we're kissing furiously. My hands find their way to his hair and pull hard. I'm rewarded with a groan. I pull him closer and can feel how much this is affecting him. He soon starts grinding down on me and I feel the most delicious sensations flooding me. One of his hands trails up over my top and up to my breast and he squeezes it softly. I moan in pleasure.

"Can I make you feel good?" I can only nod, and he squeezes again, a bit harder this time.

My back arches off of the bed and up into his hand, it feels so good. Encouraged, he pushes the fabric away and grabs my breast again. The sensation is even better skin to skin. He grinds down again on me, and I respond with my own grind. He doesn't need more encouragement to keep going. He varies the speed, making the pleasure last. Though I soon feel like something is about to burst inside me. My hands are everywhere on him, they just can't settle. Just as I feel like I'm on the edge of… something, he grabs one of my hands, brings it above my head and grinds down harder and faster on me. And then there's an explosion, stars. I lose myself in the sensation. When my vision clears up, I see Edward looking down at me, a light smirk in place. I blush, but I can't help the smile that pulls at my lips. He gives me a smile and leans down for a kiss. I moan and hold him in place. After a while, he pulls away but rolls us over so that I'm lying on his chest. I sigh in contentment and he kisses my forehead.

"Good?" He asks.

"Better than good." I reply. He chuckles.

We lay there in silence for a while, basking in that happy bubble we just created. The endorphins soon kick in and I feel myself dozing off.

"Okay love, let's wash up and then go to sleep."

He rolls me onto my back and leaves the bed to make his way to the bathroom. A moment later, he comes back out with a wet cloth in hand. He starts by washing my face a bit, and then I feel him hesitate. Through my semi-lethargic state, I open my eyes and look at him questioningly.

"Can I?" he asks, pointing at my nether region. I nod.

He makes quick work of washing me up, discard the cloth and turns off the light before he rejoins me in bed, pulling me under the covers and spooning me.

"I can't wait to make love to you." He whispers, pulling me tight against him.

"Me either."

He kisses my shoulder before burying his nose in my hair, and we both soon drift off to sleep.


	20. Castle of Glass

Take me down to the river bend  
Take me down to the fighting end  
Wash the poison from off my skin  
Show me how to be whole again

Fly me up on a silver wing  
Past the black where the sirens sing  
Warm me up in a nova's glow  
And drop me down to the dream below

'Cause I'm only a crack in this castle of glass  
Hardly anything there for you to see  
For you to see

Linkin Park – Castle of Glass

***

BPOV

I stay at Edward's until the weekend, because he was planning to drive to Forks anyway, so I decide to drive back with him.

I'm on cloud nine from these last few days. Edward didn't have anywhere to be, so we were able to lounge around together and just be. There was a lot of heavy make out involved, but we also came up for air every once in a while, long enough to eat and spend some time with Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper and Alice.

When we drive into town, Edward drives me directly to Charlie's house, as it's almost dinner time, and I'd promised Charlie to make him dinner upon my return.

After sweet kisses and soft 'I love you's', I make my way inside as he drives away.

"Hi dad!" I greet my dad as I run upstairs to drop off my bags.

"Hey Bells, how are you?" He flips the corner of his paper down to greet me as I run by his chair.

I take a moment to go and sit on the couch in the living room to chat with him.

"I'm feeling better, dad."

He doesn't understand at first, but I see he eyes light up slightly when he finally understands.

"That's great, Bells."

Charlie has never been a man of many words, so I know that in these few words, he's telling me he's proud of me.

"Thanks." I give him a slight smile, then stand up and make my way to the kitchen to start on dinner.

About an hour later, we sit down to eat, with Charlie taking bites silently and me, basically missing my mouth because my mind is still with Edward in Seattle. When I emerge long enough from my daydream to take another bite, I notice there's something off.

"Something wrong, dad?" I break the silence with my question.

"Hmm? No, why?" His answer seems straight forward enough, but it doesn't explain the awkwardness between us.

"You look uncomfortable." I attempt for honest and hope it opens up some dialog between us.

"There's something I need to show you." He finally says after a moment of hesitation.

"Ok," I say, frowning.

He stands and walks out of the room, to come back a moment later with an envelope, looking somber.

"This came for you yesterday," He says as he hands me the envelope. I look it over, but there is no address on it. Only my name is written on the front in a handwriting I don't recognize.

"What is it?" I glance up at him and hope his years of finding clues for a living has given some idea of what this envelope holds for me.

"Um, I received a letter yesterday, from the state's prison for women. It's from Renée."

My hands start shaking, then I drop the envelope on the table as if it had burned me. I decide to ignore it for now and resume eating. Charlie sits back down, eyeing me curiously.

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"Yeah, no… I don't know. I'm not sure of how I feel about this. Let me just… digest this, okay?" I reply anxiously.

"Alright." Charlie never was one to push.

We finish our meal, I clean-up and Charlie goes to the living room to watch TV. When I'm done, I grab the letter and head up to my room.

An hour later, the envelope is sitting on my desk while I am on my bed, staring at it like it's going to jump at my throat any second. It takes another half hour before I finally tear at the flap and pull out the letter. I take a deep breath and start to read.

Bella,

There are no words to properly tell you how sorry I am about everything that happened to you. I wish I could say it wasn't my fault, but that would be lying. You deserve to know the truth.

Phil wasn't like this when I first met him. I'll spare you the whole story, and just jump to the main part. He was a minor league ball player; he had just signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks when he injured his knee. He had surgery, but the prognosis wasn't good. The doctors told him he couldn't play anymore. He wasn't the same after that. He became bitter and resentful. He spent his nights out. To this day, I still don't really know where he went, but he would always come home drunk and smelling of cheap perfume.

Then one day, he came home completely sober with a man, James Helwyre. Helwyre means hunter in Welsh, he had said. They wanted to open a club. At first, I wasn't opposed to it, I was actually excited. But they didn't tell me until it was opened that it was a strip club. Actually, they didn't tell me. I learned about it when I paid a surprise visit to Phil one night to bring him dinner. I was shocked, and sickened, I never stepped foot in that club again. That was the night he almost raped you outside the club.

You probably don't even care, and that's totally understandable. I abandoned you and your father because I wanted something more than Forks. Maybe I should have just stayed there… I regret leaving you both, but when I finally realized what I had done, it was too late to go back. I was hit by depression when that happened, and Phil and I fought a lot about it. Once, he told me to just pack up and go back to you and Charlie, but in my rage, I told him that it was him that I loved, not you or Charlie. What I can't figure out is how could I love someone that ruined my life?

You will never know how much I regret those words, even more so now. Bella, you have no idea how much I regret the words. The guilt grew stronger when Phil came home with you late one night. I didn't recognize you at first; I hadn't seen you since I left, so I didn't know what you looked like now that you were 18. Despite the bruise on your face, I thought you were beautiful. I shouldn't have been surprised at your beauty, you always were such a beautiful baby; I knew without a doubt you'd grow up to be a beautiful woman.

Once he had dropped you downstairs with the other girl, I asked him who you were. "You said she ruined your life," he'd replied. "So I'm gonna ruin hers. See how much I love you?" That made me change my point of view of the whole affair. Phil had told me that the girl in the basement was living with us temporarily, as she was new to the city and she didn't have a job. That was 2 years earlier. I thought nothing of it, as finding a place to live that is cheap isn't so easy in Seattle. But when he added you to the mix, I started suspecting that there was more going on. Another reason for my surprise visit at the club.

Phil wasn't the same man I'd married, but I was trapped. Despite all of this, a part of me still loved him and I couldn't leave. I couldn't leave him, but more importantly, I couldn't leave you alone with him.

Why didn't I go to the police? Why didn't I call Charlie? Why didn't I try to help you out? I'm sure you've asked yourself all those questions and more. Because I'm a selfish coward, Bella. I'm selfish, because I could finally see you for the first time in several years, and I wanted to keep you close to me. I'd tried to talk Charlie into letting me see you a few times, but he always refused me, saying I would just end up hurting you. I guess he was right, because by keeping you close to me, you ended up hurt. I know it's not going to make any difference, but I'm sorry, Bella. I am so very deeply sorry. You lost 2 years of your life because of me.

I'm not expecting anything from you. After all of this, I certainly don't expect anything. I hurt you enough. I have no right. But I do have a purpose for writing this letter, other than telling you the truth. Please, keep in mind that I am not expecting anything from you.

I'm dying, Bella. I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a few months ago, but it was too late. It had spread too much for the doctors to be able to do anything about it. So now, I'm just waiting for my time to come.

Charlie told me that your boyfriend's mother had a serious heart disease, and that she needed a transplant. I want to do at least one good thing in my life, so I'd like her to have mine. I signed my organs donation card and Dr. Cullen said there's a very good chance my heart would be compatible with her. I hope this one small gesture from me will bring some comfort to someone who knows and cares for you.

Okay, I lied. I will ask only one thing from you, and one thing only: please let them take my heart and give it to Ms. Cullen. I know you need her. You need a mother figure in your life. She'll be a better mother to you than I'll ever be. So please, let me do just this one thing. And I'm not even doing it for me; I'm doing it for you. Charlie told me they were amazing people and that Edward was amazing with you. How he takes very good care of you. Let them love you, Bella. Let them give you the love you deserve. Let Ms. Cullen give you the love I was never able to give you.

That's all I ask.

Renée

My vision is blurry. I'm crying. Enraged with myself, I throw the letter on my desk and grab my suitcase to unpack. A moment later, Charlie knocks on the door. When I don't answer, he turns the knob and hesitantly walks in.

"Everything okay, Bells?" I can hear the pain in his voice.

"Yeah, everything's fine." I don't know why I don't just tell him what's going on with me, maybe I'm just tired of being the victim of things. For once I want things to be normal in my life. As soon as I almost reach that status someone or something snatches me back to the victim stage. I'm just over it.

I think he knows something's not right, but he doesn't insist.

"Alright. Good night, Bells." I feel his eyes rake over my body one time as he assesses my condition.

"Night dad." I murmur without making eye contact.

He closes the door and I grab a few things from my suitcase to throw them in my hamper. I go back to my bag, grab a jacket and the top I was wearing for my date with Edward last night. I can't hold it in anymore. I scream, then grab each piece of clothing left in my bag and throw them around. When there isn't any left, I grab the suitcase and throw it as well. In my rage, I throw my helmet on the floor. And I throw it hard enough to crack the visor.

I feel arms circling me, and I'm pulled close to a warm body. My anger is too big to pull it back in just yet, I have to let the pressure off or I will go crazy one final time. The kind of crazy you don't come back from. I know the warm arms tighten and words are whispered, calm, soothing words but I'm too out of it to really notice what they say exactly. I know they are tryng to calm me down, but it's not working. I keep crying and screaming as I purge my body of my rage and pain, I can't hold it all in anymore. It's too much. This letter is the drop that made the proverbial bucket overflow.

Everything was going so well: therapy, Charlie, my friends, Edward. But then there's this set back. This letter. It feels like my world is falling apart. Like I was living in a dream and I'm just waking up now.

I feel like a castle of glass. The weight of the letter in my hands cracked me, but reading the words, well those made me shatter to pieces. Pieces that have scattered as they fell, and to be honest, I don't know how to pick them up. I don't know how to piece myself back together. I need help. I need… Edward.

Anger and pain flow from me in constant streams and as the streams slowly ebb, I suddenly feel a familiar pair of arms around me. I recognize his unique smell. Edward. He's here. He's here for me. With his presence alone, I feel myself calming down and coming back to my senses. I just sit in Edward's arms, surrounded by his calming smell. An scent I have grown to find soothing, but most importantly, to love.

"Edward…" I try words to express my gratitude to him. My voice is raspy and hoarse.

"Shh, Bella… I'm here, you don't have to explain anything. It's okay. Calm down."

I remain silent.

"What are you doing here?" I ask once I feel I'm calm enough.

"Your father called me. He said you were calling for me. He didn't really know else to do for you so he called me. I came right over." Edward's voice is soft and soothing as are his hands that rub circles over my back.

I nod, and we are silent for a few minutes.

"I broke my helmet." I explain as my eyes catch the broken plastic shattered across my floor.

"Bella, love, it's okay, I'll get you another one," He replies, kissing the top of my head.

This makes me snap again.

"That's the thing, Edward! Because you have money you think you can fix everything? You can't fix me, Edward! You can't! Nobody can't!" I'm hysterical and screaming again.

In my fit, I stand and walk away from him. He marches up to me and forces me to look at him.

"Bella," he starts seriously, looking me straight in the eyes, "who said that I wanted to fix you?"

"Nobody, but…"

"No, no buts. Nobody said that I wanted to fix you. I never said I wanted to fix you. I love you for who you are, baggage and all. I knew you came with baggage the second I met you, Bella. Have I ever complained?" His eyes hold mine pinned in place and I refuse to look away from him. I can't, he's my last foot hold in normalcy.

I can only shake my head no.

"No, I never complained because I love you, Bella, for who you are, and despite everything that happened to you. And believe me, I know money can't fix everything. If money could have helped my mother, I'd have paid whatever is needed to cure her."

I close my eyes at that and drop my head.

"Sorry…" was all I could say.

"You have nothing to apologize for. You were talking in the heat of the moment, that's totally understandable. I'm not offended."

I sniff and nod, and then he pulls me to his chest in a tight hug. Feeling slightly better, I hug him back. After a moment, I pull away enough to look up at him.

"You love me?"

"Yes, I love you, Isabella Marie Swan," He replies with a crooked smile. I smile back through my tears.

"I love you too, Edward Anthony Cullen."


	21. Unity

So have you ever been caught in a sea of despair?  
And your moment of truth  
Is the day that you say "I'm not scared"

Put your hands in the air  
If you hear me out there  
I've been looking for you day and night  
Shine a light in the dark  
Let me see where you are  
'Cause I'm not gonna leave you behind

If I told you that you're not alone  
And I show you this is where you belong  
Put your hands in the air  
One more time

Shinedown - Unity

***

BPOV

"So Bella, how are you?" My therapist, Dr. Emily Uley, asks me at my next appointment, the week after my break down.

"I'm… fine. I had a break down. Last weekend." I hear her scribble something on her notepad.

"Can you tell me what happened, Bella? What provoked it?" I see the slight squint of her eyes and know this either really excites her or saddens her one. I can't tell by the mask she wears which emotion wins out.

I don't know where to start. It takes me a moment to gather my thoughts, what to say, what not to say…

"I received a letter. From my mother." I stop for a second, wondering how to say this.

Bella, it's your therapist. You don't have to be careful of her feelings or anything.

Right.

"She wrote me a letter to apologize, she said she had been selfish, and she wants me to let her donate her heart to Mrs. Cullen." It sounds so trivial when I say it out loud but deep down inside it's tearing me apart. "Apparently she's sick with pancreatic cancer, and it's too advanced to be treatable. She said it's the only thing she wants from me, to let her do this so that I can have a mother figure in my life." My thumbnail now bleeds as I dig into the skin with my last few words.

I hear Dr. Uley scribble some more on her notepad.

"Did your mother say why she thought she had been selfish?" Dr. Uley speaks to me as she glances over her glasses.

"Yes." As stupid as it seems I can't say the words out loud to Dr. Uley, even though I know there is no judgment, I just can't. So I pull out the letter from my purse and hand it over to her, but she doesn't read it.

"Won't you read it?" I ask, confused.

"Yes, but first I want you to tell me how you feel about the things she said in this letter."

I take a moment, because honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about this whole thing. I tell her that.

"I don't really know…"

"I understand Bella, but by saying it out loud, it will help you sort it out." How does she pick up on my one weakness and know to push me on it? She's either brilliant or evil, I can't quite figure it out.

"Okay." I take a deep breath. "First, I'm angry at her. I'm so angry, for making me live this hell for two years, but in a way, I'm also grateful, because it brought me Edward."

"We'll get back to that in a moment." Dr. Uley says. "What else?"

"I also feel grateful, because there is a very good chance her heart will be a match for Mrs. Cullen. A woman who quickly became a mother figure to me, and I haven't known her all that long. She's such a wonderful mother to Alice and Edward, and she's always so warm and welcoming with me, I can't help but see her as a mother figure. I can't handle the thought of losing her." I feel tears and the overwhelming feeling of losing it again. I push ahead because this is the place and the person to lose it with.

"That's perfectly understandable, Bella. You've never really had a mother, and Mrs. Cullen seems to be treating you as if you were her own daughter. Cherish every moment you have with her. We don't know what will happen." Her gentle smile and soothing words help my anxiety settle down somewhat.

"Yeah."

We are silent for a moment, Dr. Uley observing me, and me playing with my hands in my lap.

"Bella, do you hate Renee?"

I think about it for a moment.

"I don't hate her. I don't particularly like her, but … she did save me from Phil. She stopped him from raping me." I take a moment to think before I speak again. "I think I hated her in the beginning, when I learned that she was my mother… but when she saved me, I started to see her in a new light. Despite the fact that she left me and my dad, she still loved me, in her own way."

"Alright." She wrote something on her notepad. "Now if you'll give me a minute, I'll read this letter."

"Okay."

She truly doesn't take more than a minute or two to read the letter. When she's done, she folds it and hands it back to me.

"Do you feel Renee is honest in her letter?" She asks as she writes something else on her notepad.

"Yes."

"Good. Me too. She really does want you to move on from now on."

This has me thinking for a moment.

"You know, I may have had a breakdown after reading this letter, but it does help me to move on. At first, I thought she did this only to give herself some peace of mind, but I don't think that anymore. I mean it is to give herself a certain amount of peace, but it gives me some closure as well. Deep down, I always wondered why my mother left, why she never contacted me. Now I know. And I understand why she did what she did while I was Phil's prisoner. She may have done it to have me close to her, and I feel like in her own twisted, sick way she had my best interest at heart. She did stop Phil from raping me, and she probably stopped him from doing god knows what else."

Dr. Uley writes something else on her notepad, I can hear the scribble and scratch as the expensive pen moves across the paper.

"What do you write on your notepad?" I ask her, not being able to hold back my curiosity anymore.

She smiles. "Observations and thoughts about our sessions."

"Okay."

"Now, Bella, about Edward… Do you think you wouldn't have met him if this hadn't happened to you?" Talk about a subject change, she almost gave me whiplash there.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I keep mostly to myself, so I think all I would have done in college is attend my classes and stay in my dorm room." I'm not sure where she is going with this line of questioning, but I certainly trust her.

"Bella, that doesn't necessarily mean you wouldn't have met him. You could have bumped into him somewhere while walking to a class." She takes her glasses off and gazes at me as she speaks.

"Maybe he would still be at Dartmouth." I offer.

"Bella," she says while removing her glasses, "everything that happens in our lives happens for a reason. Yes, what you went through was awful, but it happened for a reason. Maybe it was to lead you to Edward. Think about it."

I can't help, but smile at this, and she smiles back.

"Alright, Bella, our time today is up. I think you have come a long way, you can be proud of yourself, I certainly am."

"Thank you Dr. Uley. I really do feel better about all this. I'm not as scared as I was anymore."

"I'm very happy to hear that. I'll see you next week and call if you have any more breakdowns." Her smile lets me know she doesn't believe I will.

"Thanks, I will"

I exit the office, with a spring in my step as I make my way back to Edward's apartment. I can't help but feel that a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I can't exactly say what or why, but I do feel better. I feel more at peace with what happened to me. I may have lost two years, but I refuse to let it ruin any more of my time. I can still go to college and have a life. It has all just been postponed a little.

When I step through the apartment's door, I see Emmett in the kitchen making himself a sandwich. I swear I'll never get used to this guy's appetite.

"Hey, Emmett." I call, walking to Edward's bedroom to drop off my purse.

"Hey, Bella! How's it going?" He replies before taking a bite of his sandwich.

"Pretty good, and you?"

I sit on the couch and grab the remote for the TV.

"I'm awesome!"

I laugh at that.

"So, Bella, how's life treating you?"

"Well, Emmett, I have to tell you, I'm feeling really good nowadays."

He gets the underlying meaning of my words and gives me a sincere smile.

"That's very good news, Bella."

I smile at him. Just then, the door to the apartment opens, and Edward comes in. My smile grows. I get up from the couch, run and jump in his arms.

"Oompf!" He says when he catches me. "Wow, Bella. I definitely love this kind of welcome, but what brought this on?"

I giggle and kiss him. "I'm happy."

He smiles at that. "Okay, that's good to hear. So I take it your appointment went well?"

I nod, still smiling.

"Tell me, what happened?"

"I realized today that I'm not as scared anymore, and that I'm not alone."

At this, he gives me a searing kiss and puts his forehead against mine.

"That's awesome news, love. I'm so proud of you."

"Thank Dr. Uley, she says I'm making good progress."

"I wholeheartedly agree with her."

I smile and kiss him. The kiss soon grows, but then we hear someone clearing their throat. Edward groans, and I giggle.

"Hi, Emmett," Edward says with slight frown.

"Hey, Eddie!"

If looks could kill…

"Okay, love, let me go and take a quick shower."

"Okay."

He kisses me quickly and goes into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

I go back to the couch and bring back my attention to what's on TV, when my mind wanders to Rosalie. I haven't heard from her in a while. She called a few weeks ago, and she didn't seem to be doing so well.

"Hey, Em, have you talked to Rose recently?"

"Um, yeah. I talked to her yesterday." I instantly calm somewhat just knowing he's kept up with her.

"How is she doing?"

He seems to hesitate before he answers me. "I'm not sure, to be honest. She's been kind of closed off lately. She's happy to be free, don't get me wrong, but… and don't take this the wrong way, but she has a lot to deal with. Not only her kidnapping, but also how Royce treated her. She was in this for longer than you."

I nod at that. I'm kind of surprised to hear his admission, Rose seemed so strong.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I don't know. Give her a call, I'm sure she'll be happy to talk to you. And be sure to let her know that I'm still beside her all the way. I tell her that constantly, but she doesn't seem to believe it. Maybe if she hears it from you…." His smile decreases as he trails off.

"Sure Em, I'll tell her." I pat his leg, I can't stand to see someone so eternally happy down, even for a few seconds. It just seems wrong.

"Thanks."He grabs his sandwich and heads back to his bedroom. Poor Rose, and poor Emmett. She does have more to deal with than I do. Before being Phil's prisoner, she was Royce's, and on some occasions, he was treating her even worse than Phil did… I'll call her tomorrow.

Just as I finish this thought, the door to Edward's bedroom opens and he walks out, coming to sit beside me on the couch.

"Everything okay?" he asks.

"Yeah, why?" I reply, perplexed.

"You seem… deep in thought."

"Oh, well… I just talked with Emmett. He was telling me Rose isn't doing so well. He says he keeps telling her he's there for her, but he's under the impression she doesn't believe him."

Edward is quiet, thoughtful for a moment.

"At the risk of sounding insensitive, she's had it rough. Rougher than you."

"No, I know. She was there way before me, and there was Royce before that."

"You should give her a call tomorrow. Let her know she's not alone."

"Yeah, I'll call her. She's not alone. Just like me." At these words I look up at him, trying to convey how thankful I am for him, our family and our friends. I need to convince Rose she's not alone.


	22. Be Like That

If I could be like that  
I'd give anything  
Just to live one day  
In those shoes.  
If I could be like that, what would I do?  
What would I do?

Now and dreams we run.

She spends her days up in the north park,  
watching the people as they pass.  
And all she wants is just a little piece of this dream, is that too much to ask?  
With a safe home, and a warm bed, on a quiet little street.  
All she wants is just that something to hold onto, that's all she needs.

3 Doors Down – Be Like That

***

BPOV

I'm sitting on the couch in Edward's apartment. It's the middle of the afternoon, Emmett and Jasper are out, and Edward is in his bedroom. He wanted to give me some privacy. Initially, he wanted to just leave, but I convinced him I needed him there. He stayed and went to his bedroom to do God knows what, but at least he's here. I'm not alone.

I know what I have to do, I simply don't know how to do it. Rose wants us all to believe she's fine, but I know she's not. Emmett knows she's not. I just don't know how to talk to her about it. I'm scared she'll just tell me to mind my own business.

During the two years of our ordeal, we were as close as two people could get. We were our own support system. That closeness makes the fact that she's pulling away all the harder to take. I don't understand why I'm not her support system any longer.

With this question in mind, I dial her number in New York City.

"Hello?" She answers after two rings.

"Rose, hi, it's Bella." I don't like how unsteady my voice sounds. I'm afraid it will tip her off that something is wrong.

"Oh, hey Bella, how are you?" She sounds very casual, Rose has perfected casual though so it doesn't throw me off course.

"I'm good, and you? How's New York?" I sound stronger now, I'm determined to get through this call and help her.

"Just peachy."

There is a moment of silence between us. Maybe this is the right time.

"Is everything alright, Rose?"

"Yeah, why?"

I take a deep breath.

"Are you sure? You know we're all there for you, right?"

"What are you talking about?" I feel a wall coming up, and decide I need to just lay it all out on the line right now before she has a chance to close me out completely.

"Rose, we were so close when we were together in that basement. What changed?"

"That's the thing, Bella. We're not in that basement anymore. We're out. It's over."

"I don't understand." I feel like she's speaking in Russian to me, her words make no more sense than if she were in fact speaking a foreign language to me.

"You can't understand. Nobody can. Nobody can because you don't know what it's like."

There's hope yet. I may be onto something here.

"What do you mean, Rose? You say I don't know what it's like, explain to me, I'm sure I know some of it, we were there together after all."

There's silence at the other end of the line. I can't hear anything at all, so I check the screen of my phone to make sure we weren't disconnected.

"No, Bella, you don't know what it's like to be alone! You don't know because you have everyone there! Edward, Alice, Emmett…" I hear a sob after she said Emmett. She's right, I have everyone here with me and she has no one, not there with her at least.

"Rose, listen to me. You're not alone. We're all here for you."

"But you're all thousands of miles away, Bella! You, you have them all within arms' reach! I don't! My parents barely talk to me. My dad is always working and my mom is always out for some charity thing, or at her hairdresser's, or having a manicure or god knows what else. I have nothing here, Bella. No support. No help. My therapist does a good job, but it's not enough." Each word loses a tiny piece of hope as she speaks them.

"Then come out here, Rose! Come here and be with us!"

"It's not that easy, Bella." It sounds easy enough when I say it.

"Yes, it is! Just give it a try. Come for a couple of weeks, we'll talk. Emmett misses you… I miss you. You say everyone's here? Then come and be with everyone. Everyone will be more than happy to see you. We're all here for you. I'll set up an appointment for you with my therapist, if you want." Desperation is not a strong enough word, with each word I speak I am more anxious for her to just get on a plane and arrive at our front door.

Rose's crying can be heard through the phone. My heart breaks into a million pieces for her.

"I don't know what to do, Bella."

"I know, Rose, but please, trust me. Come out for a couple of weeks, see how it goes. Just see how you feel here. If it's better here then, I don't know…we can get an apartment together or something. I was thinking of signing up for school for the next semester, and I'd really like to live off of campus."

"What about Edward?"

"What about him?"

"Don't you want to live with him?"

"Isn't it a bit soon for that?" I say after a moment of silence.

"Bella, if you're ready, then it's not too soon."

"You think?"

"That's how I see things, Bella. Talk to Edward, or even your therapist. But personally, I don't see anything wrong with that, as long as you and Edward are both ready." I have no idea how this conversation went from focusing on her to focusing on me. I need to turn this back around to her.

"Okay… I'll talk to Edward, and my therapist. See how we're getting along? Don't you want that all the time?"

She's silent for a moment.

"Yeah, you're right. I'll make arrangements and let you know." This is perfect news; to be honest I think I need her as much as she needs me. It just feels wrong for her to be doing this alone. She has to be with me, with us.

"Great! Alright, Rose, I gotta go. Edward and I are hitting the road soon to head back to Forks, so I'll talk to you later. Email me your travel information when you have all the details, okay?" I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders, I can't wait to see her.

"Okay. Have a safe trip back to Forks, and say hi to everyone for me." To be honest she sounded like she felt better after her decision was made too, at least outwardly she sounded better.

"I will. Take care, Rose."

"You too, Bella. Bye."

We hang up, and I put the phone on the coffee table.

I'm so happy I got through to her, I didn't like to see her so unhappy. It's not good for her. Talking to a therapist is good, but it's not enough. A support system is the best, and she doesn't have that. Her parents clearly don't know what to do, and instead of talking to her, asking her what they can do for her, they just go on with their lives as if she weren't there. What a pair of parents.

Hopefully she will come soon, and be able to see that we're all here for her, no matter what.

On that thought, I get up from the couch and make my way to Edward's bedroom. I open the door and find him sitting on his bed, typing away on his laptop. He looks up when he sees me enter.

"Hey, how did it go?" He asks, putting his laptop to the side to welcome me in his arms.

"Fine. At first she didn't want to admit she wasn't doing good, but I got through to her. She's coming here."

"Good. Emmett will be thrilled."

"Yeah." I smile, elated at the turn of events.

We are silent for a moment, just enjoying each other's presence.

"So, ready to go back to Forks?" He asks.

"Not really, to be honest."

"Why?" He sounds surprised.

"Well… I really like it here."

"I'm happy to hear that."

"And… I might be ready to go to school."

"That's very good news. I'm so proud of you." He kisses my forehead.

"I told Rose we could maybe get a place together if she likes it here and she wants to stay." I try to hint at us living together, and that's the best I can come up with.

"That's a good idea."

He doesn't get my point. A feeling of rejection hits me. I try to not let it overwhelm me, but it still doesn't make me understand why he doesn't get my hint. Is he not ready? We've talked about this before, and he said he wanted us to live together when I would be ready to go to college. Has he changed his mind?

I hurt inside. The feeling of rejection takes over, and I feel tears coming up. Before he sees them, I stand up and go to the adjoining bathroom before he says anything. I hear him follow me, but I am faster and I lock the door before he can go any further.

"Bella!" He says through the door before knocking. "Bella! What's wrong? What did I say?"

"Leave me alone, Edward!" It pains me to say this, but I just want to be alone right now.

"Bella, come on! I don't know what I did! Help me understand." I hear the shock and pain in his voice but I can't face him now. I have to get my head on straight before I can.

"Just give me a moment, okay?"

"Alright." I hear him sigh and walk away.

I sit down in the corner between the bathtub and the wall and let the tears fall. Why am I so affected by this? I mean, if he's not ready, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. Why doesn't he just say so?

After a while, my tears start to subside, so I stand up to wash my face before I step out of the room. Edward's bedroom is empty when I step out, so I grab my duffel bag and start putting my clothes back into it. Just as I'm closing up my bag, Edward walks into the room.

"Hey." I say, my eyes remaining on my bag.

"Hey, are you feeling better?"

I nod.

"Okay, good." I still do not make a movement, not knowing what to do or say. I don't have to wonder for long as he slowly approaches me to pull me into his arms. I do not hesitate and place my arms around him and inhale his smell.

"What happened, Bella?" He asks.

I take a deep breath before looking up at him.

"Can we sit down?"

"Of course, come on." He moves to sit down with his back to his headboard, and he pulls me into his lap.

I'm silent for a moment, as I don't know how to talk about this. Should I just take the plunge? It has worked for me before… So I take a deep breath and open my mouth to talk.

"Edward, I thought you wanted us to live together when I would be ready to go to school."

I see his eyes lighten up with understanding.

"I do want that, Bella. But I don't want to force you, and I certainly don't want you to feel pressured into it. I am ready for that, but are you?"

Am I really ready to live with him? I mean, I do want to spend as much time as possible with him, but is living together the solution? We are still in the early stages of our relationship. We're ready to take the next step, but wouldn't living together be skipping a step? I voice that concern to Edward.

"I think I am, but the more I think about it, the more I think that we would be skipping all kinds of steps."

He smiles lightly.

"I think the same thing, love. As much as I want to share space with you, I don't think it would be a good thing right now. You are in a good place in your life, and I'm incredibly proud of you, and I'm more than happy to be a part of it, but living together wouldn't be a good thing. Let's see how it goes for you in school first, and we'll move on from there."

"Okay." I smile at him.

"And you know you're welcome here any time." He gives me his crooked grin.

I nod, full on smiling

"Good. Now, are you all packed?" I nod again. "Okay. Let's hit the road, then because my parents are expecting us for dinner."

"Okay."

He grabs both of our bags and walks out of his bedroom. I follow closely after I grab my purse. We say goodbye to Jasper and Emmett, and we're out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Please review :)


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG... I forgot to update last weekend. It has been quite busy for me the last few weeks with my dad getting a major surgery... as an apology, I give you 2 chapters today. I hope you enjoy.

BPOV

We pull up in the Cullen's driveway. The sight of their house always stuns me. It has a modern look with all of the windows. Esme Cullen designed each and every aspect of this amazing house.

"Ready?" Edward asks me after he has killed the engine.

"Yeah." I nod and we step out of the car.

Edward walks around to the trunk to pull out his bag, then he grabs my hand and we head to the front door. Carlisle is there waiting for us.

"Hey dad," Edward says, shaking Carlisle's hand.

"Hello, son, hello, Bella," he greets us warmly.

"Hello, Carlisle, how are you?" I ask after he has hugged me.

"I'm fine, thank you, Bella. And you?"

"I'm good, thanks."

"I'm glad to hear that. How was your trip?"

"Just fine, we fought over the radio station again, so it passed the time." Carlisle laughs at that.

"I'm glad you found a way to entertain yourself." I smile; then his face turns serious. "Bella, Esme would like to talk to you in private before dinner."

"How is she?" Edward asks. He had been silent all this time. Carlisle's face falls a little.

"Not so well, but she had a good day today. She'll be happy to see you both." Edward nods. "Bella, you remember where our bedroom is?" I nod. "Good. Go on ahead; Edward and I will take care of dinner."

"Okay." I head up the stairs to the second floor, my heart racing in my chest, though I'm not sure why. Esme's so sweet, I hate to see her like this. She doesn't deserve to suffer like this. I'm just wondering what she could want to talk to me about; it's not like I've had a set back or anything; I've even been doing surprisingly well lately.

Once upstairs, I make a right and walk to the door completely at the end of the hallway, where I know Carlisle and Esme's bedroom is situated. I knock lightly and hear a light "come in", so I turn the knob and push the door open. I find Esme reading, sitting on a loveseat in the living area of the room.

"Bella, hi!" She says when she sees me. She stands up to hug me when I am close to her. "How are you? I'm so happy to see you."

"Hi, Esme," I respond as I hug her back. "I'm good, and you?"

"Well, I'm sure Carlisle has told you all about it, but I am having a good day today. Thank you for asking. Come on, sit down."

I sit down on the same loveseat as her and face her.

"Carlisle told me you wanted to speak to me in private?"

"Yes. I just wanted us to have to girl time before dinner, and before…" I saw the pain flash across her eyes as the tears formed in the corners. "Bella, I don't know how much more time I have, so I want to make the most of each moment I have left."

Oh my God, no, she can't be thinking this way… Doesn't she know about my mother? She can't be saying goodbye, not now…

"Esme, don't you know?" My question seems to stun her.

"Know what, honey?" She asks, taking one of my hands.

"About my mother? She has pancreatic cancer, she will die soon. Apparently Carlisle did some tests, and there are very good chances that her heart will be a perfect match for you."

She brings her free hand to her mouth for a moment before she speaks again.

"Yes, I know, but I didn't dare hope, after all she did to you, Bella…"

I understand Esme's hesitancy, but she has to know that I would do anything to protect her. She has been more of a mother to me than mine ever was. I would gladly take whatever my mother gave as long as it saved Esme. I needed to make her understand this fact.

"She sent me a letter, a little while ago. She wanted to explain some things, and she wanted to tell me about her cancer. She was kind of asking me to let you have her heart, so I could finally have the mother I never had." I can see tears slowly spill from her eyes, but I have to keep talking before I chicken out. She needs to know how much she means to me. "You're like a mother to me, Esme. Not only because you're Edward's mother, but also because you took care of my father while I was… away. And you welcomed me into your family so easily. I want you to have this, so you can live. I don't want to sound selfish, but I want to have you here with me for a little while longer. I need a mother figure. I need you to be that mother figure, Esme."

The longer I spoke the more the tears flowed, by the end we were both sobbing together.

"Oh, Bella… come here." She gulps through her tears, pulling on my hand to make me move forward. When I'm close enough, she pulls me into her arms. Once I'm fully enveloped in her arms, that fragile wall I had built up, shatters to pieces. I never realized until recently how much I needed a mother, and the simple thought of losing Esme is just… unthinkable. "My dear Bella… I promise you that I'll be the mother you need me to be. You and your father have become very dear to this family; we'll be there for you, always. And you becoming Edward's girlfriend makes this bond so much more special."

I can only nod against her chest as she holds me. Our tears seem to be cathartic for both of us, exactly what we need. I know I do at least.

"Thank you, Esme." I respond once my tears have subsided a little. She pulls me away lightly to look me in the eyes.

"You are more than welcome, Bella." She smiles a smile so beautiful that I can't help but return to her. I'm wiping away my tears as someone knocks before opening the door. Edward makes his appearance.

"Hello ladies," he says, coming to sit beside me, "are you alright?" He asks me, most likely noticing my red eyes. I nod. "Alright. Dinner is ready. Are you ready to come down?"

"Of course, dear, "Esme answers. "Will you help me downstairs?"

"Sure, mom."

He kisses my forehead before he stands up. Edward bends down to lift her up, his arms under her knees and behind her back. When he's back upright, he walks around the coffee table and turns to me.

"Lead the way, love?"

"Okay."

Dinner is a quiet affair. Esme retreats to her room not long after we're done and Edward and I take care of the dishes before we make our way to Charlie's house.

"Will you spend the night?" I ask Edward while we're driving.

"Absolutely." He says with a gorgeous smile, one I can't help but return.

Shortly after, Edward pulls into Charlie's driveway and we make our way inside. The greetings go well enough and it's pretty comfortable as we sit with Charlie in the living room for a while. Charlie and Edward do a fair amount of talking about sports while they watch the Seahawks game on TV.

When the game is over, Edward and I say goodnight and retreat to bed.

"Um, Bells?" Charlie interrupts us just as Edward was putting his foot on the first step of the stairs.

"Yeah, dad?" I reply from the middle of the staircase.

"Is Edward spending the night?" I blush. Oops, I may have forgotten to tell him.

"Um, yeah. Do you mind?"

A few agonizing seconds go by before he answers.

"Of course not. Though I would appreciate it if you would let me know a bit earlier next time." Charlie looks like a man struggling with himself. I can see the side that wants to forbid a man from staying in his daughter's room with her, but then again he knows the history of our relationship so he understands this is nothing new for us.

"I'm sorry, dad, it won't happen again." I actually feel for him, not enough to ask Edward to stay elsewhere though.

"Sorry, Chief Swan." Edward added. I can see the outline of a smile on Charlie's face.

"Good night, kids." I'm sure it helps that Charlie likes and trusts Edward.

"Good night dad."

The getting ready for bed routine is surprisingly simple between us, and the possibility of awkwardness given the fact that we were staying together in my childhood bedroom was nonexistent as we changed for bed. And it's not long before we meet in my bed. I cringe as Edward tries to fit himself, comfortably, into my twin bed beside me. I'm not really complaining though, it gives me an excuse to get closer to Edward.

We kiss some, just enjoying the moment, without any afterthought. When we slow down, Edward kisses my forehead and whispers a sweet 'I love you' in my ear, as we fall asleep in each other's arms.

I wake up with a start a few hours later, not sure exactly what made me wake up in the first place. I do notice the racing of my heart in my chest, it feels like it's trying to beat its way out. I crab crawl across Edward and move my legs to the side of the bed as gently as possible. After several deep breaths, my heart finally slows down somewhat. I feel all hyped up with the adrenalin, so I stand up and pace around the room. I hope to slow down my body and clear my head, but it's not exactly working. Going back to bed is tempting, but I know I won't be able to go back to sleep and will just end up lying awake, staring at the ceiling. I need to clear my head properly first

I go downstairs to have a glass of water. With my water glass in hand, I sit in my father's recliner in the living room and look out the window. It's raining outside, the rain is slowly rolling down the outside panes of the window. It reminds me of one night in Phil's basement.

I was lying on the bed, Rose was asleep beside me. It was dark, but I could hear the rain outside. For one rare moment during my captivity, I felt at peace. The pitter plater of the rain has always had a relaxing effect on me. It seems strange to me now that I could find comfort in all the chaos and abuse, but I did. Maybe because it reminded me of a more simple time when I had no real fears or worries, back when I was a child and my life was simply made up of school, my friends, and my parents.

My parents, I almost snort at myself, Renee as a parent. She's clearly the furthest thing from that simple title. I think of her letter. I've been thinking of sending her a reply, I'm just not sure of what to say. I don't know if I should accept it as a last ditch effort to finally do something right by me or the plea of a woman who is about to die and needs to make peace with God. I ponder these ideas for a few minutes before I go back upstairs, somewhat inspired.

I turn on my desk light and take a look at Edward to make sure he hasn't woken up. He looks so peaceful over there. I smile. When I'm reassured he's still asleep, I grab a pen and a sheet of paper, and start to write.

...

Renee,

I'll be honest and say that I'm not sure exactly what to say.

You know I can't forgive you. I kind of understand where you're coming from, but I still think you should have called Charlie, or the police.

It's sad for Phil, but it's no excuse for letting him do what he did. No one in their right mind would have let anything like this happen to any human, much less their own child.

I don't hate you, but don't expect me to like you either. You're the one that gave birth to me, that's all you are to me. Esme Cullen will always be more of a mother to me than you. You already know that, but I needed to say it.

I agree to let you donate your heart to Mrs. Cullen, even though I don't think you really needed my permission for that. I do need her; she's the only mother I have ever known, even though I haven't known her that long. This is the only time I will say this: thank you. Thank you for letting her have a new chance at life, and for allowing her to be the mother I need. She's a lot more important to me than anyone will ever know.

From this point forward, I ask that you do not contact me ever again. We have no further connection. I wish you a comfortable life for your remaining time, even if you never extended that particular favor to me.

Isabella Swan

...

I feel a weight being lifted from my shoulder when I put the pen back down. It's not a long letter, but I don't feel I need to say more.

Just as the thought of going back to bed comes to my mind, I feel Edward's arms circle me from behind and a delicate kiss on my shoulder.

"What are you doing up?" He asks sleepily.

"I woke up suddenly, and couldn't go back to sleep." He unwraps his arms from around me and slowly swivels my chair around so we can look at each other. He crouches down in front of me.

"Are you alright? Did you have a nightmare?" Sweet Edward, he looks so worried.

"No, no nightmare. I swear. I'm fine. I just needed to clear my head. I was just about to go back to bed." I say, grabbing his face between my hands. He brought his hands up to mine and looked at me silently for a minute, surely trying to decide if I'm lying. When I see the proverbial light bulb turn on, I know I'm clear.

"What were you writing?" He asks before bringing my hands to his lips to kiss them.

"A letter. To Renee." That seems to surprise him.

"Why?" It's nothing but curiosity. I was expecting… I don't know what exactly I was expecting, but not this.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. But I felt I needed to do this. Esme needs a heart, and Renee can provide it. You know how much your mother means to me."

"Of course, love. If it helps you, then it makes me happy." He brushed the knuckles of my right hand against his lips as he speaks.

I give him a smile, as he rises up slightly from his crouch position to kiss me on the lips.

"Are you ready to come back to bed?" He asks, standing to his full height. I nod and he gives me his signature smirk. "Come on." He offers his hand, which I grab, and he pulls me up before walking back to the bed. He lies down first and opens his arms. I smile and gingerly lie down, my back to his chest, and he spoons me.

It's amazing how a clear conscience and the arms of someone you love will ensure a quick descent into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Please review :o)


	24. Chapter 24

BPOV

Rose calls during the weekend, informing me she will arrive in Seattle on Friday. She seems happier. I bet it has something to do with coming to spend time with us, especially Emmett.

When Edward tells Emmett the news over the phone, I can hear Emmett at the other end of the line whooping and starting to freak out. I can't help but laugh. He always manages to surprise me. He looks scary, but he's such a teddy bear at heart, it's such a dichotomy. And the love and devotion he shows for Rose… he's amazing.

Not that I'm saying Edward's not amazing, it's quite the opposite. They both have their own way. Rose and I both are lucky.

Given the circumstances and the fact that Edward works pretty much all week, I decided to head back to Seattle with him on Sunday. Charlie frowns at this at first, since I'll be alone with Edward, unsupervised, for at least a week. But I finally convince him that I won't be spending all of my time with Edward. I tell him Rosalie's coming to Seattle for a while and that we're going to spend time together.

"Dad, come on. We're trying to convince Rose to move to Seattle. She's not happy with her family. She said herself that it was as if she wasn't even there." I know appealing to his emotional side is dirty pool but he has to understand her plight. "Her parents aren't taking care of her, at all, and besides I won't be spending all of my time with Edward, I told you that. He's going to be working or at school most of the time anyway. I'll show Rose around Seattle, Alice will even join us when she's not busy with school stuff."

I can see he's still hesitant about this, but I can see it slip away slowly.

"Chief Swan, you know I wouldn't force her to do anything she doesn't want to do." Edward adds, for the sake of it. If only to shred the last bit of doubt lingering. Charlie does know that, and I know he trusts Edward with my life. But he wouldn't be my dad if he weren't doubtful.

"Alright." Charlie finally conceded. "But, I want you to call every few days, even if it's just to say 'hi'. Just so I know you're safe and that everything's going well."

I can understand where this is coming from. I was missing for 2 years, and he doesn't want me to disappear again. I guess that fear won't ever really go away, and I can't exactly blame him.

We leave shortly after Charlie gives us his last instructions. We make a stop by the Cullen house before heading for Seattle. We get into Seattle later after all of our stops, so we grab some take out before going to the apartment to eat. We find Emmett and Jasper playing some video game, and Alice sitting on the side, pouting.

"What's going on here?" I ask as I make my way to Edward's bed… well, our bedroom. I hear Alice follow me.

"Jasper and I were supposed to go out for dinner 2 hours ago. He's been playing that stupid video game all day." Her voice grates on my ears like nails on a chalk board.

"Again? Alice, you need to use something other than your whining on him." I scold her.

"Excuse me?" Oops, she feels insulted.

"I don't mean to insult you. I just mean… use your charm on him or something. There must be something that you know has an instant effect on him." I hope my quick thinking has gotten me out of the dog house with Alice.

She thinks it over, and her face lights up when she comes up with something. Without a word, she walks out of the room. The first thing I know when I follow her out, Jasper is following her out the front door like a puppy. I can't help but giggle as I pull the food out of the bags.

The game suddenly pauses and Emmett looks up.

"Do I smell food?" He asks, sniffing the air.

"Yes, but there's nothing for you." I reply. "Where's Edward?"

"Bathroom." He says before resuming his game. He knows not to bug me about food when I say there's nothing for him. Edward reappears shortly after, circling my waist with his arms.

"Hungry?" He asks before kissing my temple.

"I'm starving." I feel more than hear his chuckle.

"Alright, let's eat." Graceful hands grab the boxes before he makes his way to the dining table. I smile, grab utensils, and follow him.

The next few days are quiet. While Edward's either in school or at work, I stay at the apartment or spend some time with Alice. I also keep my promise to Charlie and call every few days to check in.

Despite her exuberant, exhausting personality, Alice's an amazing friend. I know I can trust her, I can confide in her. I hope Rose will see that as well. Rose going back to her family seemed like a good idea at first, but now… I realize it was a mistake.

I know it's not really my fault, but I can't stop myself from feeling guilty. I can't help but think that maybe I should have insisted that Rose stays here with us. However, her parents sounded so relieved and happy when she talked to them the day after we were pulled out of our situation. What happened? How can parents be so cold? Weren't they worried? Weren't they scared?

These thoughts run around in my head all week. I can't even shake them off when I'm at the airport with Edward and Emmett that Friday night, waiting for Rose's plane to arrive. Edward seems to notice there's something off with me.

"Are you alright?" He asks as we're waiting by the baggage carousels.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit nervous." I reply without looking at him. He grabs my chin and lifts up my face so I look him in the eyes.

"Are you sure?"

I purse my lips, not sure how to respond.

"Can I talk to you about it later?" I concede. He searches my eyes for a moment.

"Okay."

It's about 20 minutes and two runs for food for Emmett later that Rose finally appears. At first, I don't even recognize her because she doesn't look herself. She looks almost worse than she did when we were at Phil's. Her hair's lifeless and a sick shade of dull blonde, she has black circles under her eyes as if she hasn't slept in weeks, and her baggy clothes seem too large on her.

When she sees us, she slows down her walk for a moment, before she picks up again, and practically runs her last few steps before throwing herself into Emmett's awaiting arms. I hear her start to cry.

"Let's give them a moment." I tell Edward. He nods and we step back a little.

It is when the carousel starts to run that Rose finally calms down. When I see her pick her head up from Emmett's shoulder and wipe at her eyes, I grab Edward's hand and take a few steps in their direction. She notices me from the corner of her eye and turns to me with a sheepish smile.

"Sorry," she says quietly. I give her what I hope to be a reassuring smile.

"It's okay. Are you feeling better?" She nods. It's no use asking more questions, I know she doesn't feel up to it. "Great."

"Hi Rose." Edward says warmly.

"Hey, Edward." She responds with a shy smile.

We're all silent for a moment.

"Which bag is yours?" Emmett finally asks.

"It's the purple one over there." She points to the left. Emmett grabs the bag when he can reach it, then we make our way out of the airport. Edward loads the bag in the back of Emmett's jeep then we make our way back to the apartment. We're all silent during the ride. Rosalie's leaning against Emmett's chest in the back of the jeep.

I watch the city run by, thinking of my friend in the back. I hope we can help her and convince her to stay here in Seattle with us. I think that's what would be best for her.

When we arrive back at the apartment, Rose doesn't say much apart from expressing her desire to sleep. We all understand, and Emmett leads her to his bedroom. We don't see them again for the next 24 hours.

On Sunday, I'm lounging around in bed waiting for Edward to wake up when I hear voices in the kitchen. I decide to get out of bed and join whoever's out there. When I open the door, Jasper and Rose are hugging.

"Everything okay here?" I ask as I approach them.

"Yeah." Rose says with a small smile. I smile back at her.

"If you girls will excuse me, I have to go to work. It's good to see you, Rose." Jasper says before walking to his room.

"You too, Jas." She replies before looking down at her hands. "Sorry about yesterday." She suddenly says without looking up.

"Sorry about what?" I ask, confused.

"Well, Emmett and I… we didn't make an appearance yesterday."

"Rose, it's okay, really. I was expecting as much. You needed to sleep, and you needed time with Emmett. There's nothing wrong with that." She hugs me.

"Thanks, Bella. It's good to be here." I hug her back.

"It's good to have you here." I reply as I let go of her.

Rose, Alice and I spend time together later that afternoon. When I call Alice to make plans, she wants to take Rose shopping, but when I relay the idea to Rose, I see the distress on her face, and quickly decline. Alice's disappointed at first, but she quickly understands that Rose's not in the frame of mind for that yet. We agree to meet for coffee at my favourite coffee shop. While we're there, I see Rose slowly opening herself up again. Alice does her best to bring her up to date with the latest gossip, but Rose quickly dismisses her, saying she's been gone for too long to keep up. She then has the fabulous idea to ask Alice about what she studies in school, so the topic of gossip is quickly dropped. I can see they will make great friends. Alice stays for dinner that night, and we have loads of fun. We make plans to meet all again in a few days, and this time we plan to include Angela and Ben.

During the week, while the guys are either working or at school, I take Rose around the city. I show her my favourite spots. Alice sometimes joins us as well, and she finally convinces Rose to a shopping spree. I skillfully step out of that one, saying I have a meeting at UW, which is a half-truth. I don't exactly have an appointment there, but I do have to go as I want to re-enroll.

So that morning, when Rose leaves with Alice for the mall, I leave with Edward to go to campus. He shows me to the administrative office, and then quickly leaves for his class with the promise to text him when I'm done.

Once inside, I'm a bit apprehensive, but everything goes well in the end. The lady at the desk is horrified by my story and says that she understands, but unfortunately, they didn't hold onto my scholarship since I never confirmed I would be attending, so I have to go through the process all over again. I fill out all of the necessary paperwork. After signing the last form, she informs me of the delays before expressing how glad she was that I was able to escape. I thank her, for both her help and her kind words, and leave. When I'm outside the building, I sit down on a nearby bench and pull out my phone to text Edward.

I'm all done. Where are you? –Bella xxx

It's a few minutes before his reply.

Still in class. Will be done soon. Where are you? –Edward xxx

Outside the admin building. –Bella xxx

I'll meet you there. –Edward xxx

I put my phone away, grab my book from my purse and start to read. I have time to read a few chapters before Edward finally shows up. He sits down beside me on the bench.

"Hey love," he says before kissing my lips lightly. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I have to go through the process all over again. They didn't hold onto my scholarship since I never confirmed I would be attending. Which is logical, when you think about it." I'm trying to keep a positive attitude and see their side of things.

"Sorry about that, love. But I'm sure you'll be in. I honestly don't see why they wouldn't accept you." His sweet words never fail to encourage me, I give him a smile.

"Thanks."

"No problem." He replies with a wink. I giggle.

"Are you done for today?"

"Unfortunately not, I have a lab in an hour with Angela. We agreed to meet at the cafeteria. You want to grab a bite with me there?"

"Sure."

"Let's go, then." He stands up and offers his hand. I quickly put my book back in my purse before I grab his outstretched hand and we make our way to the cafeteria. There, we find Angela and Ben already sitting at a table. I sit with them while Edward is going to get us something to eat. We chat for a while, until my phone dings, announcing an incoming text. I look it up and find it's from Alice, asking where I am. I tell her and she says she and Rose are on their way. Not long after that, Jasper and Emmett join us. After Angela and Ben agree to meet us all for dinner the next day, Edward announces he and Angela have to leave.

"Yeah, right. They're gonna play doctor," Emmett says before he starts to laugh, but soon stops because Rosalie slaps him on the back of the head. "Ow! Rosie!"

Edward just rolls his eyes at Emmett's comment, used to it, and turns back to me, kissing me softly before he leaves.

"I'll see you later, love." I nod and he and Angela make their way out.

"Get to class, you idiot," Rosalie tells Emmett. "We'll see you guys later," she says to the others before Alice, Rose and I walk out of the cafeteria, and Alice drives us back to the apartment.

The next day, we all meet at Aoki Japanese Grill & Sushi bar, a place Alice highly recommended. The guys whined about it for a while, wanting to eat some steak, but Alice assured them they would find something to their liking.

The place is small, but the atmosphere and food are great. The owners know Alice by name, so we get impeccable service. I'm happy to be hanging out with friends like this, to hang out with Angela again. Her and Ben are so cute together, I'm so happy she finally got the nerve to reveal her feelings to him. Rose is enjoying herself. She's been doing a lot better since she arrived here. She's laughing more, more relaxed and easygoing. I can see the Rosalie that showed up from time to time when we were captives: a playful and smiling Rosalie, always ready to have fun, and always ready to listen when I had a bad day. She has her place among us, and by Emmett's side. I can only hope she'll realize that.

After dinner is finished as we're slowly making our way out of the quaint restaurant, Edward's phone rings.

"Hello? Oh, hey Leah, what's up? … Really? …Sure, where? … We're on Broadway, there's a Starbucks not too far from here, on East Olive; can you meet us there? … Great, see you soon." He hangs up and puts his phone back into his pocket before looking at me. "The investigation's over."

I gasp, and immediately look at Rose. She has a hand on her mouth, and Emmett is holding her close to him, as if he were afraid she'd pass out or something. I feel Edward's arms circle me in a similar way, and I put my head on his chest for a moment, absorbing the news. It feels like the wind is knocked out of me for a second, then I feel desperation and fear. The same fear I used to feel when I was Phil's prisoner. I'm pulled back into those memories, experiencing the pain and despair again.

It's a moment before I realize I'm crying and shaking in Edward's arms, who's trying desperately to make me calm down. I look up at him, but I can't hear him. I can't hear anything. Fear is flooding me, making me blind to everything else. Edward is looking frantic, but it doesn't really register with me, because the fear is too strong. I can't fight it.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Sunday! I hope it is as sunny for you as it is for me! Here's chapter 25, only 2 chapters left after this.

BPOV

Everything is silent. It takes me a while to gain enough conscious thought to notice I'm lying in a bed. When I finally find the strength to open my eyes, everything is blurry. When the fog lifts up, I notice I'm in our bed, back at the apartment. How did I get here?

I remember we were in front of that sushi restaurant where we'd just had dinner. I remember having a wonderful time with my friends, and then Edward's cell phone rang… then everything went dark. What happened?

And Edward, where is he?

Where's everyone?

I look around the room and find Edward sitting up in his desk chair, fast asleep. I can't help but wonder why is he sleeping in the chair?

"Edward?" I call quietly. I don't know what time it is, I don't want to risk waking anyone else. He doesn't stir. I see he has his feet up on the bed, so I put my hand on one of them. "Edward?" I call again. He startles awake and immediately looks at me. When he sees I'm awake, he comes to sit on the bed beside me.

"Hey," he says, putting a hand on my left cheek. I lean into his touch. "You okay?" I nod. "Bella, you scared me there. What happened?" I bite on my lower lip.

"I don't know. What happened? I know that after you hung up with Leah, you said that the investigation was over, but that's all I remember." I can see his face darken a little at my words.

"You started shaking and mumbling unintelligible things. I couldn't get you to snap out of it. Even Rose tried, and it didn't work. So, I brought you back here right away and called Leah once I was able to settle you down in bed."

"Sorry…" I say before looking away. He quickly makes me look at him again.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"Well, we missed the meeting with Leah, and I scared you and Rose, and…"

"Bella," he interrupts me, "nothing's more important to me right now than your health. We can meet with Leah some other time; I can't leave you aside while you're having some sort of panic attack. I just can't, Bella. You'll always come first."

His words bring tears up to my eyes. He really does love me as much as I love him, unconditionally. I nod, letting a few tears escape. He wipes them away with his thumbs before leaning down to kiss me softly. I kiss him back, my hand automatically drifts up to his hair.

"Sorry for scaring you." I say when he pulls away and rests his forehead against mine.

"It's okay."

We remain in this position for a moment, just taking in each other, trying to go back to normalcy… well, as normal as our life is nowadays.

"Help me up?" I ask quietly when he pulls away. He nods and offers his hand.

I grab it and he pulls me up which turns into a hug, and I can feel his relief spread through him: all of his muscles relax at once.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asks when he pulls away.

"Yeah. I'm feeling kind of tired and slightly hungry, but I'm fine."

"Okay. Do you want to eat something?" I nod. "I'll go and get you something."

"No, I want to come. I need to get out of this bed." He hesitates then nods, standing up and offering me his hand. I take it and use it to help myself up. Once I'm standing, my legs are a bit wobbly so Edward holds me up by putting his free arm around my back.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" He asks, skeptic again.

"Yes," I nod. "I just need a minute."

He nods. I close my eyes and take a few, slow deep breaths. When I feel my strength coming back, I test my legs again and this time, they seem to be able to hold me up. I look up at Edward and nod to him. He smiles, removes his arm from around my back and pulls me out of the room and into the kitchen by my hand, which he is still holding. He makes me sit on one of the high chairs at the counter, and then goes around the kitchen to prepare something to eat. While he busies himself making a sandwich, I look around at the microwave and see the time: 5:27 AM. Whoa, I was out for a long time. I might have gasped or something, because Edward asks: "Something wrong?"

"No. It's just that I noticed the time…wow, I was out for a while."

"Yeah, for about 4 hours. I called dad to ask if it was normal, and he said it depends from one person to another. He said that if it went past 6 hours, then we should start to worry."

"Okay."

He winks before putting the finishing touches to the sandwich, which he then hands over to me. While I take the first bite, I observe him while he gets me a glass of water. He's wearing a tight t-shirt, so I can see all of his back muscles move with each movement. It's funny how the tiniest of movement on his part gets me all hot and bothered.

He sits the glass of water beside my plate then comes to site beside me.

"Good?" I nod enthusiastically, trying to shake away those sexy thoughts. But he doesn't need to know that. He laughs.

When I'm done, he wordlessly picks up the dirty dishes to put them in the sink, then grabs my hand and pulls me back to our bedroom. There, we get situated in bed with him spooning me from behind. I could do this every night, falling asleep like this in Edward's arms, there is nothing more comfortable. Being in Edward's arms brings me peace and makes me feel safe. I feel like nothing can touch me. It doesn't take too long before I fall asleep.

I wake up a few hours later to an empty bed. Before I can wonder about Edward's whereabouts, I notice a folded piece of paper just a few inches from my eyes. I smile.

Hello love,

I didn't want to wake you up, you seemed like you needed the rest. I'm out for some errands; I'll be back before you know it.

Edward

I smile, put down the paper on the bedside table, and make my way to the bathroom to take a shower. When I come out of the bedroom after getting dressed, I find Edward in the kitchen, sitting on the same stool as last night, talking into his cell phone. I walk to him, putting my hand on his shoulder when I'm close enough. He is lightly startled, but he quickly recovers and gives me a bright smile when I finally face him. I smile back.

"Yeah… ugh Leah, Bella's awake. I'll talk to her and call you back, alright? … Cool. Talk to you soon… Bye." He promptly hangs up before pulling me to him and giving me a passionate kiss. His kiss is short, but so passionate it makes my toes curl. A light moan escapes me. "Good morning, love."

"Good morning." I reply, putting my hands flat on his chest. "How's Leah?"

"She's good. I told her about your episode last night. She was worried, but I reassured her you're fine now. Are you up to meet with her today?" I nod. "Okay. I'll let everyone know, and she'll come by after dinner tonight."

"Okay."

"What do you want to do today?"

I think about it for a moment. I'm not in the mood to do much, I just want to escape for a while… an idea pops into my head.

"Let's go for a ride." I say with a shy smile. A bright smile stretches his lips.

"Wonderful idea, love. Let's go."

We go to the bedroom to get our stuff and leave. We drive down to Aberdeen, pausing a few times on the way to stretch our legs and take some pictures. The feeling to be on that motorcycle with Edward, to just ride with no real purpose in mind, it feels liberating. While we're eating lunch in a small restaurant that gives directly on the Pacific Ocean, I realize that this is where I want to be. No matter how awful the last 2 years have been, I would go through it all over again if it brought me to this, to Edward and my wonderful friends and family. I wouldn't give it up for anything. It's time to move forward and start living. I can't help but smile.

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asks me with a smile.

"Just… this. You, me, our friends. What happened… I'm ready to live." At my words, he grabs one of my hands and kisses it before giving me a bright smile.

"You don't know how happy I am to hear you say that. So let's start to live, love. There will be bumps in our road, but as long as we're together, we can get through anything. Our meeting with Leah tonight is the first step to take. Then we'll go from there." I nod, my eyes wet.

"I love you, Edward." It didn't seem possible, but his smile gets even brighter. He stands up and pulls me from my chair and into his arms.

"I love you too, Bella. So much." He replies, hugging me tightly. We remain like that for a moment; then he pulls away lightly and kisses me passionately. I answer with just as much passion. I don't know how long we kiss, but I don't care. For that moment, we're alone in the world. When we finally come up for air, I notice that some people around us are looking at us. I blush and burry my face into Edward's chest. He chuckles.

"Let them look, love. We're in love, there's nothing they can do about it. They're probably just jealous. Ignore them."

"Okay." He chuckles again, kisses my lips lightly and helps me back into my chair before sitting back down in front of me.

"Are you done?" He asks after a moment, seeing I'm not eating anymore.

"Yeah. I'm full."

"Alright then, let's go."

He calls for the bill and quickly pays for our meal, and then we make our way out to his motorcycle and drive back to Seattle. After we relax for a while, we make ourselves some dinner. I force myself to not tense up and dread the expected visit from Leah. I do a pretty good job for most of dinner. There is a knock on the door just as Edward is putting away the last dish in the cupboard. When I open the door and greet Leah, I'm always blown away by her smile. She works with the worst of the worst yet, she is still able to smile every time I see her.

"Hey Bella, how are you?" she asks.

"I'm fine, thanks, Leah. Come on in."

"Where are the others?" she questions as she takes a seat on the sofa in the living room.

"They should be here any minute. Would you like something to drink?" I ask, making my way to the kitchen to get myself a glass of water. I just want to keep myself busy, as I'm suddenly nervous again. I just want to put all of this behind me and move on, but somehow, I don't think I will be able to do that without knowing everything. I just hope I will be able to handle everything that Leah has to say.

While I'm pouring water for Leah, Edward and myself, the others arrive. Their arrival is clear especially since Emmett always makes a ruckus whenever he's in a room with other people. He just has to be the centre of attention. Rose isn't far behind, and I can see she's a lot happier. She's been here a little over a week, and there is a drastic change.

She makes her way over to me, laughing at something Emmett has just said.

"Hey," she says a bit shyly.

"Hey Rose, how are you?" She seems to hesitate a little, but she smiles.

"I'm good, Bella. Not 100%, it will take a while to get there. But I feel like I can get there. You were right. Being here, with all of you, is the best thing that could happen to me. Emmett has been so wonderful…"

"I'm perfect, Rosie, and you know it!" Emmett interrupts from the other room.

"We were in the middle of girl talk." Rose replies over her shoulder to him.

"I love girl talk!" Emmet replies cheerfully. I laugh.

"Yeah… I kinda got that." Rose says flatly. I laugh harder. Emmett winks at her, gives her a quick kiss, and walks away.

I turn back to finish up with the water as Rose drops a revelation on me.

"I want to stay." Rose says simply. I stop dead in my track and look up at her.

"Are you serious?" I ask, somewhat flabbergasted. She nods. I quickly put back down the glasses and hug her. "You won't regret it, I promise!"

We hug for a moment longer before we are interrupted again.

"What are we celebrating?" Alice asks. I look at Rose for confirmation. She nods.

"Rose is staying." Alice beams at us.

"Really?" We nod. She squeals and hugs us both. "This is so great!"

"What's going on?" Edward asks. Everyone else had stepped closer at Alice's squeal.

"Rose has decided to stay here in Seattle." I answer.

"That's very good news." Edward says, pulling me into him. "We're all here for you, Rose."

My best friend blushes a little and buries herself lightly into Emmett's arms.

"Thanks, Edward. I'm seeing that more and more, and I couldn't be more grateful. I'm gonna go back to New York at the end of this week to get my stuff. Jasper, would you…"

"Of course, Rose. " Jasper replied before she could even finish her sentence. She smiled at him in thanks.

We're all silent for a moment, basking in the good news.

"I hate to spoil the good mood," Leah interrupts, "but are you all ready to hear about the investigation?" Edward looks down at me at that. He knows me so well. I nod at him.

"Yeah, let's do this." I say, taking a deep breath.

We all go to the living room and sit down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Please review :o)


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday everyone, here is chapter 26. The next chapter will be the last one, which I will post today as well. I hope you will have enjoyed the ride as much as I did.
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Leah POV

Why did I insist to do this again?

Going over the gory details, telling all these jerks had done… This is definitely not my favourite part of the job. However, I couldn't very well let Charlie do this.

Charlie had insisted at first, saying he owed it to his daughter, but I told him I thought he owed it to his daughter to give her a neutral point of view. He would be too emotional. He ended up agreeing with me, but made me promise to tell the kids to send them to him should they have any questions. I accepted… if only to give him some peace of mind.

So here I am, sitting in Edward, Emmett and Jasper's living room. I take a sip of water before literally plunging.

"Okay. Before I start, I want to warn you that there is nothing pretty in what I'm about to say. Feel free to stop me at any time, for any reason." I look at Bella and Rosalie as I say this, as there may be some things they are not able to hear. They both nod. "Also, Chief Swan insisted that I tell you that you can go to him should you have any questions after tonight."

Everyone nods and I take a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

"I will start with what we have on Royce King, as it will bring us to James and Phil along the way." I see everyone nod silently. "Okay. So Royce King had never been the poster child for perfection. He grew up in the bad neighborhoods of New York. His mother neglected him, and he never knew his father. He dropped out of school at 15 and got involved in gangs. He also noticed quite early that because of his good looks he had power. He could have pretty much any girl do anything he wanted. That's how he had 5 girls working in different clubs along the east coast. They were technically hired legally, but everything the girls earned went into King's pockets. There was nothing left for them."

"Did he get them the same way he did with me?" Rosalie asks. I nod.

"Though it was easier with them. They fell for his act immediately, whereas you were a harder catch, Rosalie. Given your upbringing, you didn't trust people all that easily, as opposed to those girls, who were desperate to escape their miserable lives." I pause and take an assessment of the room, it looked at thought everyone was still with me so I continue. "King had a history with the local police department, but they were never able to prove it was him, as the girls' parents had never met him, and they couldn't find the girls. All they had were suppositions. That is, until he set his eyes on Rosalie."

"Why? What was so different with me?" Rosalie asks.

"You challenged him, and he loved it."

**Flashback**

"Come on, Rose, you know you want to!" Royce said with a wink.

"How many times have I told you to leave me alone?" Rosalie shouted before turning around to walk away. She suddenly turned back around. "And my name is Rosalie!" She shouted again before stomping away across the yard and into the school building.

Royce's face hardened and his fists tightened before he stomped away to follow her.

"Rosalie, please, give me a chance to prove myself to you. You'd be a killer model. Designers will fight for you, I can promise you that."

"I don't care, that's not what I want to do with my life. I have other things to do; I have other ambitions than to strut down a runway in ridiculous outfits. So fuck off!"

"You'll be putty in my hands soon, Rosalie, I swear!"

"Dream on!"

**End of flashback**

"He started treating you with all sorts of gifts, didn't he?" I ask Rosalie. She nods. "I don't mean to pry, but how did he get through to you? I'm curious."

"I'm not sure exactly, he switched tactics at some point when he saw that pushing me and following me everywhere didn't work." I nod and don't insist she tells me more; I'm sure it's hard enough as it is for her to be going through this tonight.

I see Rosalie look down at her hands and she starts to fidget. Emmett quickly puts an arm around her and pulls her into his side. She looks up at him gratefully.

Emmett's a total buffoon, but he can also be incredibly sweet when he wants to, from what I gathered.

Okay, let's rip that band-aid off before I chicken out.

"What happened after that is Rosalie's story to tell, so I'm going to jump right to after Royce lost the poker game to Phil Dwyer and what happened to him." I look around and everyone nods. I nod in response and take a moment to collect my thoughts before launching into the story. "Royce demanded a rematch several times, each time wanting Rosalie to be put in as the bet, as he wanted to get her back. But he lost each and every time, pretty much losing his shirt in the process. When that wasn't working anymore, he tried getting into the club. The bouncers didn't recognize him, so he was able to get in, but it never took too long before either Phil or James noticed him and threw him out. James would escort him back outside and to his car.

But one night, Royce had had time to drink a lot before James recognized him, as he and Phil didn't get to the bar until late."

**Flashback**

It's past midnight; the girls retreated to their private rooms a while ago. Royce is sprawled out on the bar, an umpteenth glass of whiskey in hand. The bouncers let him in again without any problems. And this time, he was able to enjoy more than a few sips of whiskey. Apparently, Dwyer and Helwyr are not in yet, so he's able to enjoy his night, for once. Though he wishes he could get closer to Rose… He would try to convince her to run away with him, make the most of it while the wolf is out. Too bad it's too late now. Oh well… he'd try some other time.

"Well, well, well… Look what we have here." James sneers.

He moves his head slightly, just enough to see his visitor.

"Hey, Helwyr!" He says drunkenly, faking enthusiasm.

"I thought we told you to never step foot in here again, King."

"Aw, but it's such a fine establishment you got here."

"Give up, King. You lost, you won't get her back. Now leave, and don't come back. This is your last warning." James says, threatening.

"Oh, come on. We're all friends here, and I'm a paying customer. I should be treated like any other paying customer frequenting this fine establishment."

"Don't try my patience, King." James warns, his tone menacing.

"Have I ever told you how stupid Rose is? She ate up everything I told her, every promise I made. She's of no use to you here."

"She's a girl, she knows how to dance, that's all we need. Now get out of here." James gets dangerously close as he says the last words.

"No. I want to see Rose." Royce says stubbornly.

"Out of question."

"Let me see her, and then I'll be out of your hair." Royce tries to negotiate.

James' patience was wearing thin. He was becoming a nuisance, and, soon enough, he would probably become a threat as well. He had to get rid of him.

**End of flashback**

"Helwyr walked King to the hallway leading to the private rooms and knocked him out. We're not sure what happened next, but next thing we know, we find King lying in a ditch in the woods east of Seattle, just as we were about to make a move and arrest him."

"Why didn't you arrest him before?" Emmett asks.

"Because we didn't really have any proof until he admitted to Helwyr having talked to Rosalie and made her promises. We had an officer dressed as a civilian in the bar the night King talked to Helwyr, and he had a hidden microphone. He was able to record the entire conversation, so we took that for his admission to kidnapping Rosalie."

I take a minute to breathe and drink some water, and to also let them digest this part.

"Is everyone okay?" I ask, looking around at all of them. "Can I go on?" They all nod. "Okay then, James Helwyr. We don't know much about him. He seems to be an immigrant, because he didn't appear in government records until about 15 years ago. He was convicted for fraud and theft and did time in jail. He was released about 7 years ago, and it wasn't long after that that he met Phil Dwyer. He saw his vulnerability and decided to use it. Dwyer placed his trust in him. At some point, they decided to open a bar. It required a lot of money, and Dwyer almost gave up, but out of nowhere, Helwyr found the amount required in no time and paid. Dwyer never questioned it. However, we found that it was stolen money from breaking and entering into people's houses. He was pretty much low profile after that, becoming Dwyer's right hand man. Nothing much happened until Royce King talked to him before being found dead. Given his lack of patience towards King, it was quite obvious that he was the one that killed him."

"He was arrested, right?" Bella asks. I see she's terrified, probably terrified that he's going to find her.

"Yes, he was arrested, Bella. The night at the bar? Your father arrested him himself. He will be behind bars for a long time if they don't decide on the death penalty."

"The death penalty?" Edward asks.

"Yes. A series of murders occurred around Washington State in the last few years, and we were able to trace them back to Helwyr."

Bella nods and leans into Edward, who kisses the top of her head. She's reassured, but she's still reluctant. That's completely understandable. She probably won't feel safe until Helwyr and Dwyer are sentenced and in prisons far away from here.

"What about Victoria, his girlfriend?" Bella asks shakily.

"Her record was clean before this whole ordeal. And even with this, we don't have much against her. Yes, she helped in keeping Bella and Rose locked away, she'll probably get something for being somewhat of an accomplice, but since she didn't help in any of your kidnappings, we're not expecting her to go behind bars."

Bella nods.

"And Dwyer?" Edward asks after a moment of silence. I take a deep breath.

"He didn't really have a record before this. A few speeding and parking tickets, nothing major. Phil Dwyer was a promising baseball player. He was playing in the minor leagues and apparently there were several scouts observing him. He made a spectacular catch during a game about 10 years ago, but when he touched the ground, his foot caught on something and he fell. Next thing he knows, his knee was busted. He underwent surgery, but the prognostic wasn't good. He fell into a depression…"

**Flashback**

Phil is sitting on the couch in the living room, the TV is on, but he's not paying attention to what's playing. He is thinking back to his baseball days, when he came so close to achieving his dream: playing in the MLB. He is running over and over in his head what he could have done differently to avoid the injury that ruined his career.

Renee, his wife, enters the room. She stops for a moment and observes him, wondering what she could do. Every day is the same: he would sit in the living room in front of the TV and mourn over the fact that his career came to a screeching halt. She feels for him, she wishes she could do something to help him, but she can't magically fix his knee.

A few months later, she finally convinced him to go out a little, if only to the local bar to get his mind off of everything for a little while. She knows it's not the cure, but at least it's something. He ends up going out more and more, almost every night. He would sometimes come back smelling of smoke and cheap perfume, but she decides not to ask any questions. She is sure Phil is not the type to cheat, so she lets him enjoy his time out.

However, at some point, he ends up not coming home on several nights and, when he would come back the next mornings, his clothes would be rumpled, the smell of perfume would be stronger than usual, and there would sometimes be lipstick traces.

After a month of that, she has enough and decides to confront her husband. Things go downhill from there. Phil becomes aggressive, bordering on violent, telling her to mind her own business and threatening to file for divorce, arrange to leave her with nothing. He ends up stopping to go out for a while and things slow down, but he sinks into depression again.

So she ends up telling him to just do whatever he wants, she won't question him anymore. She would rather see him happy.

**End of flashback**

"Dwyer met Helwyr shortly after that, and we all know what it leads to." I see them all nod.

I let them absorb everything I just revealed.

"I know it's a lot to take in," I tell them after a few moments of silence, "but please be assured that you are all safe now. The trials will start soon. It's not 100% sure yet, but the prosecution doesn't think they will need any of you to testify in court. Chief Swan will keep you all informed."

"Thanks Leah. For everything." Edward says. I give them all a smile.

"It's my job. But it was my pleasure. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything. I'll see myself out. Take care."

I see each couple huddle together before I close the door. I have been involved in several investigations over the years, all more sordid than the other. However, none has left me with such a feeling of elation, that for once, I made a difference.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Please review :o)


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the shortness, but I thought that I said everything I had to say regarding this story and its characters, I just wanted to wrap things up nicely, and it turned into this short epilogue.
> 
> I will keep the heartfelt words for the bottom notes. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: for one last time, I own nothing.

A few months later – January – BPOV

Christmas was a loud affair this year. Rose and I hadn't had a Christmas the last 2 years. We all celebrated together, along with my dad, Carlisle and Esme, and even Rose's parents.

Indeed, Mr. and Ms. Hale finally came around. They were initially opposed to Rose moving to Seattle, so she lashed out. She told them how she felt, about how standoffish and cold they were with her. It took a few weeks, but they finally called her to apologize. Things aren't 100%, but they are better. Mr. and Ms. Hale even helped us move into our apartment last week, before going back to New York.

They also offered to cover rent for us, leaving only bills to split between Rose and I.

Our place is just a few blocks from Edward, Emmett and Jasper's, and about a 15 minutes' drive to UW, so life is good, for the most part.

Renee died a few weeks ago, in a highly secured hospital room, in the hospital where Carlisle works. Therefore, they were able to proceed quickly with the transplant. Esme is still recovering, but she looks a lot healthier than before. It's a relief for everyone.

Another relief is the Seattle Police Department was able to gather enough evidence to bring James and Phil to court quickly. Even better was the fact that Rose and I were not required to go up on the witness stand. The lawyers defending James and Phil tried to trip Edward, Emmett and my dad up on their testimony, but failed.

James pleaded not guilty to all the charges, but was found guilty of several murders, including Royce King's; he ended up getting the death penalty. Phil, for his part, had the common sense to plead guilty. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, with no possibility of parole before 15 years.

I can't say that we can now put all of this behind us and move on, but Rose and I are definitely getting better. She has more to overcome than I do, but with the support system we have, it is definitely easier to get passed it all.

We heard Victoria, Tania and Irina had disappeared, Jessica woke up one day and they were gone. They literally left her behind. She later learned they are now in Florida, working in exclusive clubs.

How she found us? She never got around to telling us, always evading the subject. So I'm guessing it wasn't something quite legal… but it doesn't really matter. All she wants is friends, and if she feels we can give her that, then we'll try to include her… as annoying as she can be sometimes.

My point is… we're doing good. We will never truly get passed these traumatic events, but we'll learn to live with the consequences. Edward is there for me, Emmett is for Rose, and we have family and friends to help us remember that none of it was our fault, that we didn't deserve anything that happened to us. We deserve what we have now.

I deserve what I have now. He may have sold my body, but my soul is not for sale.

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Please review :o)
> 
> So this it, guys, the end of this adventure. I spent 6 years working on this story. It's not exactly how I had planned it, but I'm still proud of it.
> 
> I am amazed by the response this story received from you, readers, I will forever be grateful for your kind words. I am also grateful to the readers who gave me constructive critism, because it can only help me becore a better writer.
> 
> This was the first, and probably the last, time I was appearing in the Twilight universe. I'm not saying I will never write with these characters again, but the probabilities are pretty low at the moment. I have a new passion: the TV show Once Upon a Time. I have several ideas for OUAT fics. I am currently working on two of those ideas. I am hoping those of you who decided to follow me, will follow me into this new universe. If you decide to step back, that's fine too. I would never hold a grudge for that. To each his own passion, I will always respect that.
> 
> I hope to see you all around here again. Until then: Au revoir!


End file.
